Stories of Fashion, Textiles, and Place: Evolving Sustainable Supply Chains 9781350136342, 9781350136335, 9781350136373, 9781350136359

Citation preview

Stories of Fashion, Textiles, and Place Evolving Sustainable Supply Chains

ALSO AVAILABLE FROM BLOOMSBURY A Practical Guide to Sustainable Fashion Alison Gwilt Designing Fashion’s Future Present Practice and Tactics for Sustainable Change Alice Payne Doing Research in Fashion and Dress Yuniya Kawamura Fashion Fibers Designing For Sustainability Annie Gullingsrud Global Perspectives on Sustainable Fashion Alison Gwilt, Alice Payne and Evelise Anicet Ruthschilling Introducing Fashion Theory From Androgyny to Zeitgeist Andrew Reilly Sustainability and Social Change in Fashion Leslie Davis Burns Sustainability and the Social Fabric Europe’s New Textile Industries Clio Padovani and Paul Whittaker Sustainable Fashion: What’s Next? A Conversation about Issues, Practices and Possibilities Janet Hethorn and Connie Ulasewicz The Business of Fashion Designing, Manufacturing, and Marketing Leslie Davis Burns and Kathy K. Mullet The Dangers Of Fashion Towards Ethical and Sustainable Solutions Sara B. Marcketti and Elena E. Karpova

Stories of Fashion, Textiles, and Place Evolving Sustainable Supply Chains Leslie Davis Burns Jeanne Carver

BLOOMSBURY VISUAL ARTS Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP, UK 1385 Broadway, New York, NY 10018, USA 29 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2, Ireland BLOOMSBURY, BLOOMSBURY VISUAL ARTS and the Diana logo are trademarks of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc First published in Great Britain 2022 Copyright © Leslie Davis Burns and Jeanne Carver, 2022 Leslie Davis Burns and Jeanne Carver have asserted their right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Authors of this work. For legal purposes the Acknowledgments on p.xii constitute an extension of this copyright page. Cover design by Dani Leigh Design Cover photographs, also used opposite, by Lewis Mackenzie and Jane H. Macmillan. Courtesy of Harris Tweed Authority. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc does not have any control over, or responsibility for, any third-party websites referred to or in this book. All internet addresses given in this book were correct at the time of going to press. The author and publisher regret any inconvenience caused if addresses have changed or sites have ceased to exist, but can accept no responsibility for any such changes. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Burns, Leslie Davis, author. | Carver, Jeanne, author. Title: Stories of Fashion, Textiles and Place: Evolving sustainable supply chains/ Leslie Davis Burns, Jeanne Carver. Description: New York: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2021. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2020051648 (print) | LCCN 2020051649 (ebook) | ISBN 9781350136335 (paperback) | ISBN 9781350136342 (hardback) | ISBN 9781350136359 (pdf) | ISBN 9781350136366 (epub) Subjects: LCSH: Woolen and worsted manufacture–Case studies. | Weavers–Interviews. | Textile manufacturers–Interviews. | Clothing trade–Sustainable methods. | Business logistics. | Green products. Classification: LCC TS1625.B93 2021 (print) | LCC TS1625 (ebook) | DDC 628–dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020051648 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020051649 ISBN: HB: 978-1-3501-3634-2 PB: 978-1-3501-3633-5 ePDF: 978-1-3501-3635-9 eBook: 978-1-3501-3636-6 Typeset by Integra Software Services Pvt. Ltd. To find out more about our authors and books visit www.bloomsbury.com and sign up for our newsletters.

v

CONTENTS

Preface  x Acknowledgments  xii

1 Sustainable Supply Chains in the Global Fashion Industry  2 Creating Value and Reflecting Values  2 The Value of Place  5 Sustainable Supply Chains  9 Environmental Sustainability  10 Environmentally Sustainable Fibers and Materials  10 Water Consumption over the Lifecycle of the Product  11 Energy Use  12 Textile Waste  13 Longevity of Use  14 Social and Cultural Sustainability  15 Capacity Building and Employee Empowerment  17 Sustainable Communities  17 Cultural Traditions  18 Economic Sustainability  19 Supply Chain Traceability, Assurance, and Transparency  21 Certifications, Industry Associations, and Partnerships  22 Certifications  22 Fiber and Textile Certifications and Initiatives  22 Certification of Producers and Manufacturers  24 Comprehensive Supply Chain Certifications  25 Industry Initiatives, Associations, and Partnerships  26 Learning through Narratives  28 References and Resources  28

CONTENTS

vii

2 Imperial Stock Ranch and Shaniko Wool Company: Natural Adaptations  30 Lambing Season  30 Changing a Mindset: Imperial Stock Ranch, Oregon, USA  32 Starting a Yarn Business: Converting Sunlight Energy  34 From Yarn to Finished Items  38 Ready-to-Wear: Imperial Collection by Anna Cohen  41 Sustainable Bridges: East and West, Rural and Urban  43 The Business Naturally Adapts  44 “The Call”  46 The Power of Purpose beyond Profit  49 Expanding Markets  50 Traceability and Certification  54 A Sense of Place  55 References and Resources  59

3 Angela Damman Yucatán: Advancing Cultural Traditions  60 A Henequén Bag  60 The Yucatán Peninsula  60 Growing Up in Minnesota, USA  62 Moving to Yucatán  63 Sustainable Agriculture: Cultivating and Processing the Fiber  66 Processing the Fiber: Revitalizing an Industry  68 Shredding, Drying, Combing  69 Dyeing Fibers  70 Revitalizing the Fiber Processing Industry  73 Weaving and Product Development: Advancing Cultural Traditions  74 Facilitating Artisan Groups  77 A New Generation of Weavers  79 Markets and Retailing  82 Cultural Sustainability: Identity, Community, and Purpose  86 References and Resources  89

viii

CONTENTS

4 Tonlé: Every Thread Counts  90 The Mekong and Tonlé Sap Rivers  90 Growing Up  92 The Dichotomy of Cambodian Textiles  95 A Reluctant Businesswoman  98 Transition and Rebranding  100 Zero-waste Model  101 The Artisan Workshop Model  103 The Impact and the Message of Tonlé  106 Today and Tomorrow  107 References and Resources  110

5 Indigenous Designs: Climbing a Mountain  112 Where Have You Been, My Friend?  112 A Brand Is Born  114 Climbing a Mountain  117 Beyond Ecuador  119 The Artisan Co-op Model  123 Economic Sustainability: Financial Strategies  125 Networks, Organizations, and Certifications  130 Documenting and Communicating Impact  133 Next Steps: Scaling an Artisan Ownership Model  136 References and Resources  138

6 Harris Tweed®: Às an ghearann tha an t-aodach a’ tighinn ‫ ׀‬From the Land Comes the Cloth  140 Clò Mòr  140 History of the Harris Tweed Industry  141 Harris Tweed Act 1993 and the Harris Tweed Authority  145 Structure and Supply Chain of Harris Tweed  147 Crofting and Wool Production  148 Processing Wool: The Foundation of Harris Tweed  149 Harris Tweed Mills  149 Washing and Dyeing Wool  150 Blending, Carding, and Spinning Wool  151 Preparing the Warp  152 Textile Design  152

CONTENTS

ix

Weaving Harris Tweed  157 Harris Tweed Weavers  157 The Weaving Process  160 Finishing and Inspecting Harris Tweed  162 Marketing Harris Tweed: Power of the Orb  163 Marketing Harris Tweed  164 Markets for Harris Tweed: Tradition and Evolution  165 Using the Harris Tweed Label on Finished Products  166 Protecting the Orb  167 From the People Comes the Cloth  169 References and Resources  170

7 Creating and Reflecting Values through Sustainable Supply Chains  172 The Value of Place in Sustainable Supply Chains  173 The Value of People in Sustainable Supply Chains  176 The Value of Product in Sustainable Supply Chains  178 Characteristics of the Founders, CEO, Partners, and Artisans  180 References and Resources  181

Epilogue  182 Recommended Reading  183 Index  186

PREFACE

Leslie Burns and Jeanne Carver met in 2008 when Jeanne was working on a grant application to the US Department of Agriculture to provide financial assistance for creating a ready-to-wear apparel collection with wool raised on her Imperial Stock Ranch in central Oregon, USA. At the time Leslie was a professor of Apparel Design and Merchandising at Oregon State University (OSU). Jeanne reached out to colleagues at OSU for names of professors who might assist with the grant proposal. As Jeanne tells the story, “I asked several people at OSU including the president of the University and dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences and they all said ‘You need to talk with Leslie Burns’.” Jeanne invited Leslie to meet with her and designer, Anna Cohen, at the Imperial Stock Ranch. Although they came from different backgrounds and areas of expertise, Leslie and Jeanne immediately connected around shared philosophies on sustainability and responsible supply chains. After this initial meeting, Leslie and Jeanne kept in touch, sharing highlights and challenges in their respective career journeys. In 2018, Leslie was working on the book Sustainability and Social Change in Fashion (2019, NY: Fairchild Books/Bloomsbury Publishing), and wanting to include in-depth interviews with industry leaders. She immediately thought of Jeanne and her work around creating a regional and sustainable supply chain for wool. As Leslie reflects: After visiting the ranch and interviewing Jeanne I remember telling her “someone needs to tell your story – it’s amazing and so many could learn from your experiences!” I thought about other companies that I had connected with in the process of writing this book and the journeys of their respective leaders and how a book about these journeys would be such a great learning tool. Jeanne mentioned that she had already started writing the story of Imperial Stock Ranch. When Leslie read this early draft, she teared up; the writing was beautiful, passionate, and engaging. As an educator and scholar, Leslie knew the stories of the journeys of successful textile, home fashions, and apparel companies that had created sustainable supply chains needed to be told. She also knew that Jeanne’s skill in storytelling would result in a compelling book. As a complement to Jeanne’s skills, Leslie is an experienced author of scholarly work, including several books about the global fashion industry

PREFACE

xi

and sustainability. A collaboration that combined their respective talents seemed natural. Leslie and Jeanne talked more about a common thread that would weave through the stories and came to the realization that many of the companies were founded because of place, were grounded in place, and that their success was reflected in their values honoring the people and environment of a particular place. With this theme in mind, they contacted companies to see if they would be willing to have their stories told as part of this book, the result being the five companies included: Imperial Stock Ranch and Shaniko Wool Company, Angela Damman Yucatán, Tonlé, Indigenous Designs, and Harris Tweed®. The chapters were written based on in-depth research and personal interviews with founders, employees, artisans, and partners of each of the companies. Leslie and Jeanne conducted interviews with individuals at each of the companies and, when possible, visited the operations of the companies. The narratives of the five companies describe personal and professional journeys that resulted in creating and maintaining sustainable supply chains, representing a combination of industry best practices with a focus on environmental, social, cultural, and economic sustainability. Much can be learned from the narratives. In particular, the development and evolution of supply chains that both create and reflect values—values around place, people, and product—inspiring all of us to be part of a more environmentally, socially, and culturally sustainable fashion system.

Figure 0.1  Left to right, the authors Leslie Burns and Jeanne Carver, pictured with Lorna Macaulay, CEO of the Harris Tweed Authority (HTA). Photo courtesy of the HTA.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Leslie and Jeanne are grateful, honored, and humbled to write the stories of these companies and their respective founders, leaders, and artisan partners. Individuals were generous with their time and expertise, and this book would not have been possible without their willingness to open their hearts and share their passions, struggles, and successes. Leslie and Jeanne grew as scholars and writers through the warmth and genuine engagement of all involved. Leslie will forever be grateful for the experience of meeting with Jeanne that first time and for the friendship and partnership that emerged and flourished over the years. Leslie was inspired by Jeanne’s authentic and passionate skill at storytelling, conducting interviews, and building relationships. Leslie’s journey as a scholar around sustainability in the fashion industry has been supported and encouraged by many “kindred spirits” in academia and industry. As a scholar she aspires to build on the work of others in moving the body of work and industry practices forward. As such, Leslie acknowledges and appreciates the important work of the many scholars and industry leaders who have and continue to contribute to changing the global fashion system. Leslie would also like to thank her husband, Bill Boggess, for his support of this project, including, among a host of contributions, driving to loomsheds in the Outer Hebrides, asking relevant questions about sustainable agricultural practices for growing henequén, and being a sounding board for themes that emerged from the narratives. Jeanne feels tremendous gratitude to Leslie for giving her the opportunity to be involved in this project. Jeanne does not think of herself as a writer, but simply as a ranch wife who is willing to take on any challenge needed to support their rural ranch life. Jeanne was motivated to work in textiles and fashion in order for sheep to remain on the landscape grounding the resulting products to their place of origin. That decision became an odyssey, and the lessons learned enriched her life and brought ever more inspiration. Leslie was someone she reached out to for textile guidance and mentorship, when challenges sent her down a fork in the road that was unfamiliar. Professionals like Leslie helped shape her journey, and Jeanne is indebted to her for the wisdom, experiences, and guidance that influenced her path.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

xiii

Jeanne would like to thank the many local and regional fiber artisans who were the first to knit, weave, crochet, felt, sew, and create products from her wool. Primarily women, they brought home the importance of traditional skills critical to every culture, and as important today as ever. She is equally grateful to the many supply chain partners she eventually developed relationships with, who process fiber, spin, dye, knit, weave, and finish fabric, as well as cut and sew finished pieces. They are the heart of mills and factories, often overlooked, yet each playing an equally necessary and important role. Highly skilled, they are today’s forgotten makers. Jeanne holds tremendous respect and gratitude for the people inside the companies who became her brand partners—the designers, production specialists, communication team members, and leaders who each contribute their part to a product and its story. Each of these individuals adds importance to the greater purpose of the brand that resonates with customers, builds loyalty, and grows partnership. And, finally, Jeanne would like to thank her family. She says her husband, Dan Carver, has always been her wisest mentor and greatest support, no matter the task or challenge. She thanks all her family and the members of their “ranch family,” who, she says, make the sun shine brighter every day. Jeanne knows that every hand in the process, from soil to a finished textile piece, is important. Leslie and Jeanne extend heartfelt thanks to all those at Bloomsbury Publishing who made this book possible, specifically Georgia Kennedy for her support, encouragement, and spot-on advice as the book evolved. In so many instances when Leslie and Jeanne were unsure as to the next steps in the development and writing stages, they immediately turned to Georgia for her wisdom and guidance. Leslie and Jeanne would also like to thank all of the anonymous reviewers of the book proposal and draft chapters. The reviewers’ insights and thoughtful suggestions led to important conversations and reflections about the narratives and the contribution of this book to the body of work. Thank you. Leslie Davis Burns Responsible Global Fashion LLC Jeanne Carver Imperial Stock Ranch and Shaniko Wool Company LLC

1 Sustainable Supply Chains in the Global Fashion Industry

Creating Value and Reflecting Values Look around at all the products made from textiles—apparel, accessories, carpets, blankets, pillows, tablecloths, upholstery, and window coverings, just to name a few. These products are part of our everyday lives—warming us, cooling us, protecting us, assisting us, and giving us joy and comfort. These are the products of the global fashion industry, the businesses throughout the world that are involved in all aspects of the design, creation, manufacturing, marketing, and retailing of these products. These businesses are part of integrated supply chains, the networks and processes that take the product from raw materials to finished products to the end-use consumers, and in some cases back again to raw materials or renewed products. In the global fashion industry, the supply chains include suppliers of textiles (raw materials); findings, trims, and notions; product manufacturers; and distributors and retailers of fashion products: apparel, accessories, home fashions/textiles, and textiles used in commercial settings such as hotels and offices (Burns and Mullet 2020). 1. Textile suppliers. The term textile is used to describe any fabric (e.g., woven, knitted, or nonwoven material) made from natural protein fibers (e.g., wool, cashmere, silk), natural cellulose fibers (e.g., cotton, flax, henequén), and/or manufactured fibers (e.g., nylon, polyester, rayon). Textiles suppliers include companies and textile mills involved with fiber processing, yarn spinning, fabric production, and fabric finishing. They are often referred to as the “raw materials” of fashion products.

SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAINS

3

2. Findings, trims, and notions suppliers. Findings, trims, and notions are the components, other than materials, needed to manufacture fashion products, including thread, fasteners, buttons, zippers, elastic, hemming tape, cords, and lace. 3. Product manufacturers. Product manufacturers (often referred to as cut, make, and trim suppliers) convert textiles, findings, trims, and notions into finished products. Product manufacturers supply fashion brands with merchandise they sell to the ultimate consumer. 4. Distributors and retailers. Distributors and retailers of finished products transport and deliver merchandise to the ultimate consumer. Retail operations include brick-and-mortar, e-commerce, omnichannel, and direct sales. 5. Re-commerce, rental, upcycling, and recycling. In a circular supply chain, textile resources are kept in use for as long as possible as renewed raw materials, components, and finished products. In general, the supply chains within the global fashion industry are highly fragmented; that is, different companies operate at each of the stages. Companies involved at the raw material stage sell to textile mills that sell to manufacturers, who may have contracts with fashion brands. In some cases, a vertically integrated company may own and operate businesses across stages. Supply chains also evolve over time as new technologies, strategies, suppliers, and buyers create new opportunities and partnerships. At each stage of the fashion supply chain, value is added. In this case value refers to the monetary worth of what is created. According to this concept, materials are worth more than fibers, finished products are worth more than materials, retailers provide a service that adds worth to the product for the consumer, and textiles have worth beyond their first use. In fact, the term value chain is often used to describe this approach to the fashion supply chain. The monetary value-added and growth-oriented approach to the global fashion supply chains has resulted in one of the largest and most diverse industries in the world with estimates that employment is more than 300 million worldwide (Ellen MacArthur Foundation 2017). Fashion products are manufactured for both domestic and international markets and sold to consumers through a variety of retail venues, contributing to local, regional, and national economies. Fashion products are sold at local markets, through small retailers, and through large multinational chains. Globalization has led to vast trade among countries that specialize in one or more stages of fashion supply chains. In fact, the World Trade Organization (2020) reported that in 2017 over 160 economies were involved in textile and clothing trade. But what happens to the concept of value when a consumer purchases a new cotton knit T-shirt for only US$5 through a multinational chain

4

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

retailer? The monetary value associated with the cotton, the knit fabric, and the labor required to sew the T-shirt would be even less. In this context, the consumer has become removed from the resources, processes, and people necessary to create the T-shirt, not knowing how or by whom the cotton was grown and harvested, the knit fabric produced, or the T-shirt sewn. And with such little value associated with the T-shirt, after wearing it only a few times, the consumer thinks nothing of simply throwing it away and purchasing another to replace it. This linear fashion system (make, use, dispose) of inexpensive fashions has led to massive overconsumption and textile waste, depleting both natural and human resources and resulting in environmental and social systems that are not only unsustainable but are inherently damaging to societies and natural environments. The challenges facing the global fashion industry are well documented. Comprehensive reports including those published by The Business of Fashion and McKinsey and Co. (2021), Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2017), Global Fashion Agenda (2019), and the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP 2017) outline the environmental and social issues across the supply chains of the global fashion industry. For example, synthetic and hazardous chemicals are used throughout the manufacturing processes for textiles, components, apparel, and home fashions. Many factory workers are not being paid a living wage while they continue to work in unsafe and unhealthy conditions. Consumers purchase large quantities of inexpensive low-quality apparel, accessories, and home fashions with the expectation of wearing/using them a limited time and then throwing them away. These practices contribute to the large amounts of textile waste in our landfills (Ellen MacArthur Foundation 2017). In moving forward, fundamental approaches to supply chains in the global fashion industry must change. Sustainability plans with goals and metrics have been set by international organizations (e.g., United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, 2020), national governments and agencies (e.g., UK Sustainable Development Goals 2019), fashion industry–specific organizations (e.g., Global Fashion Agenda’s 2020 Commitment, 2020), and companies themselves (e.g., Eileen Fisher’s Horizon 2030, 2020). These plans outline strategies for companies to further their sustainability efforts and for consumers to participate through their purchasing behavior. The strategies advance practices whereby textiles and fashion products are considered valued resources, the true costs of fashion products are reflected in their prices, and consumers are educated about the environmental and social impacts of their purchase decisions. These sustainability plans challenge companies within the global fashion industry to create supply chains that reflect values in addition to monetary worth. Value, in this case, refers to the importance of qualities, such as environmental stewardship, human empowerment, or advancing cultural traditions, that are incorporated into companies’ business strategies, practices, and operations. These values are evident not only in how they

SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAINS

5

do business but also in the products they create, manufacture, and sell. In other words, companies can both create value and reflect values through sustainable supply chains. Companies within the global fashion industry use a number of interconnected strategies to create sustainable supply chains that both add value and reflect values, often with a particular focus. For example, some companies focus on responsible management of natural resources, others on eradicating human trafficking, others on providing educational opportunities for individuals in communities they serve. But all strive to add value and reflect values. Scholars in design, marketing, supply chain management, and production have written about these interconnected strategies for creating sustainable supply chains in fashion (see Recommended Reading at the end of the book for an annotated listing of relevant books). These books provide overviews, frameworks, and indepth analyses of strategies. The purpose of the current book is to explore the value of place in creating sustainable supply chains through narratives of five companies.

The Value of Place The companies selected for inclusion in the current book share a value of and connection to place. The concept of place for these companies is more than the location of their headquarters, where they have operations, where they source materials or production, or where they sell products. These companies were founded because of place and are committed to advancing cultural traditions of a particular place. They value, honor, and are all deeply rooted in the geography, culture, and people of a specific location, and their success is attributable to their connection to that place. These companies include: Imperial Stock Ranch and Shaniko Wool Company—Oregon, USA At the forefront of rebuilding connections, traditional skills and strengthening supply chain partners, Imperial Stock Ranch and Shaniko Wool Company offer certified traceable raw materials for sustainable products (Figure 1.1). Angela Damman Yucatán—Yucatán, Mexico In partnership with local artisans, Angela Damman Yucatán advances cultural traditions through the creation of luxury textiles and products using age-old techniques of processing and weaving fibers from native plants, henequén and sansevieria (Figure 1.2). Tonlé—Phenom Penh, Cambodia As a zero-waste fashion brand of products made from textile waste, Tonlé furthers environmental sustainability, inclusivity, and social justice (Figure 1.3). Indigenous Designs—Highlands, Peru In partnership with artisan co-ops, Indigenous Designs creates fashions with organic cotton, sustainably raised alpaca, and low-impact dyes while contributing to economic development of communities (Figure 1.4).

6

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Figure 1.1  Traceable wool from Imperial Stock Ranch was used for the sweater of Team USA Opening Ceremony uniforms for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images.

Figure 1.2 Elevated designs of Angela Damman Yucatán using fibers of native plants. Photo courtesy of Namuh Studio/Angela Damman.

SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAINS

7

Figure 1.3 Tonlé exemplifies socially responsible apparel production. Photo courtesy of Tonlé.

Figure 1.4  Indigenous Designs partners with artisan co-ops to create high-quality knitted goods. Photo courtesy of Indigenous Designs.

8

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Harris Tweed®—Outer Hebrides, Scotland, UK With a rich tradition of high-quality hand-woven wool fabrics, Harris Tweed reflects and furthers the unique interconnections among the land, community, and cloth (Figure 1.5). Why is the value of place so important? From a historical perspective, until the 1700s textile production was a hand process using the fibers available within a particular geographic region, for example, cotton, wool, henequén, silk, and flax. Trade among regions increased the availability of these fibers and associated textiles made from the fibers. The First Industrial Revolution and subsequent technological advancements in manufactured fibers added to the fact that fibers and textiles were no longer “place-bound.” Fashion companies created and consumers could acquire textiles and products made from textiles with little or no connection to where, how, or by whom the products were made. This resulted in a disconnect between consumers and the products they use on a daily basis, a loss of understanding and appreciation in the skills and resources necessary to create these products, and an associated disregard for the human and natural resources necessary for the products’ creation. Therefore, renewing a value on place reconnects the company and the consumer with the people, geography, and culture of a particular location. What emerges from renewing the value of place are the locally available fibers, traditional textile designs, skills of artisans, and communities associated with creating textiles and apparel. The value of place is reflected throughout these companies’ supply chains in the environmental sustainability of the fibers and textiles they create and use, in the cultural traditions associated with creating

Figure 1.5 Harris Tweed fabric is hand woven at the homes of weavers in the Outer Hebrides. Photo by wanderluster/Getty Images.

SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAINS

9

materials, in their production processes, in their community engagement, and in their communication and connection with consumers. These are the characteristics of place that the companies highlighted in the current book aspire to revive, enhance, and promote in new ways. This introductory chapter provides context, background, and definitions that will be relevant to the narratives of the companies discussed. The following sections of this chapter include: ●●

●●

●●

an overview of sustainable supply chains including definitions and applications of environmental, social, cultural, and economic sustainability strategies for supply chain traceability, assurance, and transparency including certifications and industry initiatives, associations, and partnerships a glance forward to the learnings the reader will acquire from the company narratives

Sustainable Supply Chains The narratives of the five companies discussed in this book reflect personal and professional journeys of successful entrepreneurs and illustrate effective strategies for sustainable supply chains that value, honor, and advance cultural traditions associated with place. These companies intentionally implement interconnected strategies and practices that result in sustaining human and natural resources over time, specifically creating supply chain networks centered around environmental, social, cultural, and economic sustainability. The word interconnected is imperative to the success of their supply chain networks whereby environmental, social, cultural, and economic sustainability strategies and practices were woven together in a Gestalt manner resulting in the entirety of the company ethos becoming more than the sum of their individual initiatives and efforts. An overview of the concept of sustainability provides a foundation for these strategies and practices. Numerous formal definitions for the term sustainability exist. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) references sustainability as “everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. To pursue sustainability is to create and maintain the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony to support present and future generations” (EPA 2020). This definition reflects multiple aspects of sustainability and the importance of the natural environment and place in creating and maintaining the balance necessary for survival and well-being. In the global fashion industry environmental, social, cultural, and economic sustainability are aspects of a broader umbrella term, sustainable development. As such, each of the companies has contributed to sustainable development through their financial success over time, by contributing to

10

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

the economic development of a place (a community or region), and by implementing business practices that foster environmental, social, cultural, and economic sustainability. For example, social, cultural, and economic sustainability are advanced by companies through their work with artisans in local communities, sustaining social systems, advancing cultural traditions, and creating employment opportunities.

Environmental Sustainability Strategies and practices that sustain our natural environment are key aspects of creating sustainable supply chains and are an imperative value for the companies discussed. Two overarching goals of strategies and practices that address environmental sustainability are to: (1) reduce consumption of nonrenewable resources and (2) ensure that consumption of renewable resources does not exceed their long-term rates of natural regeneration. Nonrenewable resources are natural resources that cannot be renewed or replaced (on a level equal to their consumption) once they have been consumed. Most fossil fuels (e.g., oil, natural gas, and coal) are nonrenewable natural resources. Manufactured fibers such as nylon and polyester are produced from polymer solutions obtained as by-products of nonrenewable resources. Renewable resources are those that can be replaced or replenished naturally over time or are always available. For example, renewable energy resources include energy from wind and solar energy. Natural fibers including cotton, wool, and henequén are renewable resources if they are produced using sustainable agricultural practices that do not deplete or damage the environment. Unfortunately, environmental health and safety laws and regulations are not standardized and vary by country or region. Some countries have strict environmental health and safety regulations, whereas others are more relaxed. Companies throughout the global fashion industry with sustainable supply chains often create and adhere to their own goals for environmental health and safety that may be beyond what is regulated. As such, they use a variety of strategies to address environmental sustainability in their supply chains. These strategies include using environmentally sustainable fibers and materials, reducing water consumption, using energy from renewable sources, reducing textile waste, and creating products for longevity of use (Burns 2019). They also communicate their goals, strategies, and positive impact of their strategies. For example, companies may have goals to reduce water or energy consumption in their operations, implement strategies to achieve these goals, and publicly report the impact of the changes in their operations.

Environmentally Sustainable Fibers and Materials Incorporating environmentally sustainable fibers and materials is a common strategy for companies within the fashion supply chain. Hazardous (toxic) chemicals are used in the production and disposal practices throughout the

SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAINS

11

fashion supply chain. For example, in the production and processing of textiles, pesticides are used in growing traditional cotton, chemical agents are used to clean and bleach fibers, chemical fabric softeners are used, dyes and fixing agents are often chemical in nature, and finishes such as water repellants and stain protection use chemicals. Therefore, companies address environmental sustainability through the production and use of environmentally responsible textiles, fabrics, and materials; that is, those that, as much as possible, do not deplete natural resources or damage the environment (Gullingsrud 2017). Environmentally responsible textiles, fabrics, and materials include those that are (Chen and Burns 2006): ●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

made from renewable resources (i.e., resources that can be renewed naturally) nonpolluting to obtain, process, and fabricate produced with recycled, limited amount of, or no chemicals made from recycled materials that would otherwise be disposed fully biodegradable

Examples of environmentally sustainable materials include: ●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

organic cotton (grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides) wool certified by Textile Exchange’s Responsible Wool Standard that recognizes “best practices of farmers; ensuring that wool comes from farms that have a progressive approach to managing their land, practice holistic respect for animal welfare of the sheep” (Textile Exchange 2020) henequén grown naturally without synthetic fertilizers lyocell method of rayon production (made from sustainably harvested wood pulp and processed with recycled nontoxic solvents) polyester staple fibers made from recycled plastic soda bottles that are made of polyethylene terephthalate, or PET recycled polyester

Water Consumption over the Lifecycle of the Product Water is an essential natural resource for sustained environmental and human life and health. Therefore, another strategy used by companies with sustainable supply chains is to reduce the amount of water used throughout the supply chain and lifecycle of the product. In addition, textile mills use a large amount of water in wet processing techniques such as scouring,

12

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

desizing, bleaching, and dyeing. If not appropriately treated, the wastewater created through these processes can be hazardous and can pollute rivers, lakes, or other bodies of water in which the wastewater is disposed. Strategies associated with water reduction and safety include: ●●

●●

●●

●●

using less water to grow cotton eliminating chemicals in wastewater and recycling water in fiber/ fabric processing using less water in fiber/fabric processing encouraging consumers to reduce water use in laundering and care of the products

Energy Use Mechanical processes, transportation, and product maintenance all contribute to energy use in the fashion supply chain. Increased automation, globalization, and specialization among companies along the supply chain have resulted in raw materials shipped to processing facilities, then shipped to production facilities, and then shipped to distribution centers before they are available to the ultimate consumer. Consumers also use energy in washing and drying fashion products. When companies have a goal to reduce energy use, they need metrics to assess the impact of initiatives and strategies to meet their goals. A common measurement used to assess and communicate the amount of fossil fuel consumed is a carbon footprint or carbon intensity metric. An entity’s carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide and other carbon compounds emitted due to the consumption of fossil fuels and is typically expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) for a particular time period (usually per year). With an overall goal of lowering an entity’s carbon footprint, environmental sustainability is addressed by companies in the fashion supply chain by decreasing the use of energy from fossil fuels and increasing the use of renewable energy sources. Interrelated strategies used by fashion brands to address energy use include: ●●

●●

●●

●●

reducing overall energy use throughout the supply chain; achieved by sourcing and logistics strategies using materials that are not a by-product of fossil fuel production reducing energy use from nonrenewable fossil fuels throughout the supply (fiber/fabric processing, garment production, distribution, and retailing) and in consumer laundering and care for the garment increasing the use of renewable energy sources throughout the supply chain (fiber/fabric processing, garment production, distribution and retailing) and in consumer laundering and care for the garment

SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAINS

13

Textile Waste Another strategy companies in the global fashion industry use to reduce the environmental impact of their products is to reduce textile waste throughout the creation, use, and disposal of the fashion product. Textile waste is categorized according to whether the waste material is pre-consumer or post-consumer. Pre-consumer textile waste (sometimes referred to as industrial waste) is created during the manufacturing process and includes fabric left over from the cutting process, selvages, and other fabric scraps. When cutting out garment patterns, companies generally want to waste as little material as is possible with waste tolerance rates between zero and 15 percent of the material. Very few companies have a zero-waste tolerance rate in the cutting process, although more are aspiring to use zero-waste strategies. Pre-consumer textile waste also includes products that do not meet quality standards and are disposed of at the factory level. Zero-waste design strategies, such as those used by Tonlé, focus on utilizing all materials during the design and cutting processes as well as renewing or reusing fashion products that would have otherwise been disposed. Post-consumer textile waste includes apparel and household textiles (e.g., towels, sheets, rugs) that are discarded by consumers as well as textiles used in commercial settings and discarded (e.g., carpets, window coverings, hotel linens, upholstery). Whereas, textile waste occurs throughout the manufacturing process, the largest amount occurs as post-consumer waste. In the last fifteen years, clothing production has approximately doubled, while during this same time, the average number of times garments are worn before they are no longer used has decreased by 36 percent (Ellen MacArthur Foundation 2017). Sustainability of the product was the key purchasing criterion for only 7 percent of consumers (Global Fashion Agenda, 2019). The US Environmental Protection Agency (2019) reported that in 2017 approximately 15 percent of all post-consumer textile waste (2.6 million tons) was recycled, with 85 percent (14.4 million tons) either combusted with energy recovery (19 percent) or sent to landfills (66 percent). Similarly, according to a report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2019), 87 percent of the value of fibers necessary for the creation of clothing is landfilled or incinerated, representing a lost opportunity of more than US$100 billion annually. Recovering and reusing pre-consumer and post-consumer textile waste is a global industry. Pre-consumer textile waste including deadstock fabric (flawed fabrics/materials or fabrics left over by textile mills) is acquired through partnerships with textile mills and factories and through commercial enterprises that collect and sell pre-consumer textiles. In addition, numerous companies and organizations recover, sort, reuse, repurpose, recycle, upcycle, and resell pre-consumer and post-consumer textile waste. The term recycle refers to processes by which waste materials are made suitable for reuse such as recovering waste polyester material and converting it back to polyester fibers. The term repurpose refers to the process of using waste

14

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

materials/items again but with new purposes such as waste cotton being used for industrial rags. The term upcycle refers to the process by which waste materials are transformed to create products with a higher value than what was being discarded without changing the composition of the original material. For example, a company may upcycle waste materials recovered from a textile mill to create new materials with a higher value. Post-consumer textile waste is also reduced through the collection and reselling of pre-owned products (although the merchandise may not have been worn and/or used). Pre-owned products are acquired and resold in a number of ways. Consumers may return products to retailers or fashion brand companies because of problems with the merchandise (e.g., wrong size, technical flaw). But often the company is not able to resell the merchandise. To reduce the environmental impact of product returns, companies such as The Renewal Workshop partners with fashion brand companies, including Indigenous Designs, to repair returned merchandise to be sold as “renewed apparel.” Some companies also collect pre-owned products through their “take back” or recycling programs whereby customers are incentivized to bring used clothing to their stores. The used clothing may be renewed and resold to consumers or provided to other companies for shredding, recycling, and/or reselling. Fashion resale companies, such as consignment retailers and charity organizations, also acquire previously owned products for renewal and reselling.

Longevity of Use Another strategy used by all the companies discussed in this book to address environmental sustainability is to extend the life of products that they are creating and producing. This strategy is based on the perspective that by creating high-quality products that consumers want to wear over time (i.e., extending the life of the products) consumers will purchase fewer products and materials used in fashions will be used for a longer period of time, and less post-consumer textile waste will be generated. As such, longevity of use focuses on designing and manufacturing high-quality timeless designs that extend the life of the fashion. Designing, creating, and manufacturing high-quality timeless fashion products takes time. Currently, the supply chain networks in the global fashion industry are organized around fashion calendars, reflecting the time needed to take a product from its inception to the ultimate consumer. Traditional fashion supply chain calendars can take up to two years for the design and creation of textiles and finished fashion products. Expedited fashion supply chain calendars, used primarily for products that do not require lengthy design or manufacturing processes, take up to a year for a product to move from inception to the ultimate consumer. Fast fashion or short-cycle supply chain calendars can be less than a few months. This strategy requires integrated supply chain systems as well as designs that can be produced quickly. Fast fashion supply chain calendars have contributed

SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAINS

15

to the massive overconsumption of fashion products by consumers around the world. Consumers can easily purchase inexpensive and poorly made fashion products that they wear only a few times and then throw away, only to purchase new items and repeat the cycle. We’ll find that environmental sustainability is advanced by companies that utilize traditional fashion supply chain calendars creating high-quality fashions that can be worn across seasons and for many years with opportunities for reuse. Additionally, some companies are implementing strategies that reflect a philosophy known as slow fashion (Fletcher 2010, 2012) with goals of addressing sustainability, extending the life of products, and enhancing consumers’ connections with products. Companies with sustainable supply chains integrate longevity of use strategies, including (Burns 2019): ●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

designing and producing high-quality products made with durable fabrics and construction techniques creating classic or timeless designs or styles that can be adapted over time to remain fashionable creating fewer and more trans-seasonal collections/lines that can be worn across seasons designing products with modular and/or multifunctional designs that can be worn multiple ways or for multiple purposes designing products that facilitate upcycling creating designs that can be altered for varying sizes, styles, and uses upcycling materials to create products creating products by which there is an emotional and/or experiential connection between the wearer and the product offering services for consumers or providing components (e.g., extra buttons) so that the product can be mended

Social and Cultural Sustainability The companies discussed in this book also implement strategies that advance social and cultural sustainability, that is, valuing and advancing social and cultural structures, processes, expressions, and traditions. Social sustainability is the ability for a social system or social unit, such as a community, to function at a defined level of social well-being over time through shared structures and processes (Business Dictionary 2020). These structures and processes include those that allow for the availability of nutritious food, clean water, adequate shelter, education, realization of personal potential, participation in governance, citizenship, service to others, and cultural expression.

16

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Culture is defined as the beliefs, customs, language, way of thinking, and artifacts (e.g., built structures, clothing, designed products, arts) of a particular organization, group, or society. Cultural sustainability results from strategies for sustaining aspects of culture that create positive, equitable, and enduring relationships among the current members and future members of the organization, group, or society. Artifacts, including designed products, are important cultural symbols and serve as tangible representations of cultural values; therefore, retaining the value of the physical artifacts that represent the culture is an important aspect of cultural sustainability. Assuring social and cultural sustainability across fashion supply chains is vitally important to the people and communities engaged in creating fashion products. Unfortunately, the global ready-to-wear fashion industry has a history of jeopardizing social and cultural sustainability through practices that result in the exploitation of workers, practices that continue today. In their most egregious form, labor exploitation in the form of human trafficking and modern slavery are evident throughout the global fashion industry. In addition, workers, most of whom are women and people of color, have also been exploited through companies not paying a living wage, poor and unsafe working conditions, long hours with no overtime paid, bonded labor, child labor, preventing free association, harassment, and abuse. Most workers depend on the little income these jobs generate to provide for their families, leaving them no option but to continue working under such dangerous and oppressive conditions. Throughout the history of the global fashion industry, tragic events have brought media attention to the sweatshop conditions resulting in changes in laws, policies, and practices. For example, in 1911, 146 young women died in the Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire in Manhattan, New York City. This tragedy spurred the growth and influence of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union along with changes in government regulations around health and safety of labor. In 1996, clothing bearing Walmart’s Kathy Lee brand, named for television celebrity Kathy Lee Gifford, was found to be made in sweatshops in Central America. Media reports of this and other incidents at this same time led many large multinational brands to implement codes of conduct and factory auditing processes. In 2013, the world’s attention was drawn to Savar, Bangladesh (outside of Dhaka), where the Rana Plaza building, home to several apparel factories, collapsed, killing over 1,100 people and injuring over 2,400 people. This disaster led to the creation of industry-wide coalitions of companies to address the atrocities still evident in today’s global fashion industry. Many companies, including those discussed in this book, have advanced social and cultural sustainability by creating healthy, positive, and empowering working environments for the men and women who produce fashion products. These strategies contribute to the social well-being of the individuals and communities where they have operations as well as where their products will be purchased and used. They start with the basics of assuring the health and safety of workers, paying a living wage, assuring free association, and

SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAINS

17

prohibiting child labor, abuse, harassment, and discrimination. These are often outlined in a company’s code of conduct and compliance to the codes of conduct is evaluated through factory audits conducted by the companies themselves, through industry associations (e.g., Fair Labor Association), or through third-party auditors (e.g., Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production). However, strategies by companies with socially and culturally sustainable supply chains typically go “beyond auditing” to include strategies that result in capacity building and employee empowerment, creating sustainable communities, and advancing cultural traditions.

Capacity Building and Employee Empowerment Capacity building refers to the tools and resources needed for employees of companies and organizations to develop competencies and skills that can make them more effective and more sustainable, that is, leading them to a greater capacity. Capacity building is ongoing and reflects the commitment of leadership within the company or organization to assure employee training necessary for the company or organization to adapt to changing industry landscapes. Capacity building, in its most effective form, embraces employee empowerment. Employee empowerment encompasses the “ways in which organizations provide their employees with a certain degree of autonomy and control in their day-to-day activities. This can include having a voice in improving processes, helping to create and manage new systems and tactics, and running smaller departments with less oversight from higher-level management” (ASQ 2020). This definition does not presume that employees were without power or agency prior to practices to assure an equitable work environment. That said, assuring the success of employee empowerment programs requires appropriate training, employees’ access to necessary information, and employees’ initiative and confidence to engage in the program. Companies within sustainable supply chains build capacity throughout their organization by creating equitable work environments whereby employees throughout the organization enhance operations and solve problems and, in the process, shape their physical, social, cultural, and economic environments. For example, companies may offer employee training to enhance operational and management skills of their employees.

Sustainable Communities Companies throughout the fashion supply chain are also involved with work beyond their operations to positively affect the communities in which they have operations and where their products are sold and used. The overall goal of this approach is to create and enhance sustainable communities, those that are economically, environmentally, and socially healthy and resilient. These companies recognize that sustainable communities contribute not only

18

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

to the health and well-being of their employees, but also to the success of their companies. Sustainable communities are often characterized as having interconnected systems that address (Sustainable Communities 2020): ●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

economic health and security with sustainable job creation public services and infrastructure environmental health (water, air, biodiversity, energy, and ecosystems) civic engagement and participation in planning and implementing community initiatives educational opportunities culture and art justice, equity, and social well-being

In addition to providing sustainable jobs in the community, companies in the fashion supply chain contribute to creating and enhancing sustainable communities by providing educational opportunities for employees, offering low-or no-interest loans to supply chain partners, enhancing public services through partnerships with local governments, engaging in community initiatives, and advocating for policies that contribute to environment, education, arts, and social justice.

Cultural Traditions Cultural traditions are customs and cultural representations including food, clothing, architecture, activities, festivals, and holidays that are transmitted from one generation to another. Although cultural traditions may evolve over time, they continue to be valued representations of a culture and the people and values of that culture. In advancing cultural traditions, customs and cultural representations are not only valued but new generations are encouraged and rewarded in learning and carrying on these traditions. Companies can play a role in advancing cultural traditions, thereby contributing to social and cultural sustainability. For example, world regions are known for traditional dress worn by the people from that region. Traditional dress incorporates cultural traditions around colors, textile arts (e.g., weaving, embroidery), garment and accessory design, and ways of wearing and accessorizing ensembles. These cultural traditions are passed down from generation to generation and may evolve over time. Companies have advanced cultural traditions through collaborations and partnerships with artisans in particular regions to encourage, promote, and reward the continuation of time-honored crafts of spinning, knitting, and weaving textiles. For example, Angela Damman Yucatán offers incentives for young people to acquire the skills to create modern designs and products using traditional techniques for weaving henequén. It should be noted that advancing cultural traditions by companies in the global fashion industry is fraught with challenges, including cultural appropriation and white savior complex, that can lead to offensive,

SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAINS

19

disparaging, unjust, exploitive, and unethical behavior. The globalization of the fashion system has led Western fashion brands to seek out, encourage, and celebrate cultural exchange. However, such cultural exchange can result in cultural appropriation. According to Green and Kaiser (2020, p. 145), cultural appropriation Is the taking of aesthetic or material elements from another culture by someone who is not a member of that culture without giving credit or profit. The “taking” is not unlike stealing or plagiarizing—it is often done without permission and/or acknowledgment (like one would use a citation in an academic paper). Typically, those stealing design elements or ideas profit from them, while the culture of origin makes no profit and may be humiliated, disrespected, or harmed through the process. Cultural appropriation is possible because the “taker” is typically in a position of power, whereas those who are taken from may not have easy access to legal recourse or enforcement of requital. Appropriation is also dangerous and offensive because it tends to be culturally insensitive and reduces a culture to an aesthetic expression or fashion statement that can be bought and sold. Designers and merchandisers of fashion brands must continually question origin, meaning, and ownership of cultural symbols and traditions incorporated into the products they design, produce, and market. They must also assure equity in acknowledgment, benefits, and compensation in all partnerships involving cultural exchange. Another challenge is white savior complex, the behaviors of white persons who provide assistance to non-white people in a manner that is self-serving. Historically, the role of the more powerful in providing help to the less fortunate took on a humanitarian aura. However, in the context of Western fashion brands (generally with white owners) working with non-white artisans in other countries, white savior complex can lead to internalized assumption of superior expertise, feelings of righteousness in “saving those who need help,” robbing of agency from the economically poor, and exploitation of artisans. To build authentic partnerships based on equity, white entrepreneurs who work with non-white artisans, including those highlighted in the current book, must continually question their own actions, motivations, and resulting behaviors. Acknowledging power structures (including historical colonialism) and engaging in active listening and learning are hallmarks to creating partnerships that build capacity, empower individuals and communities, and ultimately advance cultural traditions.

Economic Sustainability All the companies discussed in this book are for-profit organizations, creating textiles that are sold to fashion brands or ready-to-wear or home fashions that are sold to consumers. As such, economic sustainability is necessary for

20

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

them to stay in business. Economic sustainability is the ability for individuals, companies, communities, and countries to sustain a defined level of economic production over time. Within sustainable supply chains, economic production must be environmentally responsible, serve the common good, be self-renewing, and build human capacity. That is, economic sustainability occurs when environmentally, socially, and culturally sustainable business practices are financially feasible. In fact, companies with sustainable supply chains have a competitive advantage (what makes the company superior to its competitors) because of their sustainability strategies and initiatives. For new companies, achieving economic sustainability with sustainable supply chains often means starting small and then scaling (expanding) capacity as time, knowledge, resources, and demand allow. For example, a zero-waste designer may start by partnering with a local mill to acquire deadstock materials, a contract factory may partner with a local nongovernmental organization (NGO) to hire and train at-risk women in a community, a small group of artisans may start a cooperative, or a small specialty retailer sells only upcycled merchandise. For established companies, achieving economic sustainability with sustainable supply chains often means exploring options within their current business operations and incrementally making changes that result in meeting their sustainability goals. For example, an established brand with a goal to reduce water consumption may start by using organic cotton for a few of their product lines and then incrementally add product lines made with organic cotton over time. It should be noted that economic sustainability of companies with sustainable supply chains is dependent on fashion consumption—consumers’ acquisition, storage, use, maintenance, and disposition of fashions. However, redefining consumption is a necessary aspect for companies with sustainable supply chains. To contribute to sustainable supply chains, consumers must consider fashion products as valued resources that are worn for as long as possible with materials that are then regenerated to create new products. Therefore, companies with sustainable supply chains use resources to educate and empower consumers around sustainable practices, including: ●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

valuing fashion as a resource through enhanced connections with the product purchasing fewer and higher-quality products that will be worn for an extended time acknowledging the artisans and makers of the products they purchase understanding the implications and impact of their purchase behavior acknowledging the true cost of the products practicing environmentally responsible laundering and drying of products

SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAINS

●●

●●

21

learning how to mend, upcycle, and/or recycle products practicing responsible disposal of used fashion products (donating, sharing, reselling)

Supply Chain Traceability, Assurance, and Transparency For-profit companies with sustainable supply chains are guided by both business objectives (e.g., profit, financial growth) and social objectives (e.g., environmental stewardship, employee empowerment). Meeting and communicating business objectives are relatively straightforward. For example, a company either meets their financial goals or they do not and can communicate information accordingly. Meeting and communicating the impact of social objectives are less straightforward. However, companies with sustainable supply chains have developed similar types of goals that can be measured, and the impacts shared. The companies discussed in this book assure the sustainability and integrity of their supply chains, provide evidence of their effectiveness, and communicate the impact of their sustainability efforts through processes known as supply chain traceability, assurance, and transparency. The first step in assuring environmental, social, and cultural sustainability across fashion supply chains is for companies to be able to accurately trace and track their supply chains (supply chain traceability). Effective traceability includes all levels and areas of suppliers—fiber producers, dye houses, textile mills, and production facilities. The next step is to create systems to guarantee the integrity of suppliers throughout their supply chain (supply chain assurance). Supply chain assurance is achieved through management systems that verify suppliers, assure that suppliers are complying with legal and company standards and regulations, and that products are tested for quality and integrity. The ultimate goal of these management systems is to create trustworthy products, healthy environments, and ethical, equitable, fair, and transparent conditions for all workers within companies’ supply chains. The third step is publicly communicating information about suppliers and processes (supply chain transparency). Companies communicate information about their supply chains in several ways, including mandatory reports, maps or listings of their suppliers and producers, impact reports, and images and videos of the processes throughout the supply chain. Companies put a face to steps in their supply chain, reflect social and cultural sustainability efforts, and connect with consumers through photographs, videos, and interviews with workers throughout their supply chain. Companies use a variety of strategies to communicate the impact of their environmental sustainability efforts: visuals of their use of environmentally sustainable materials and processes, specific metrics about their strategies (e.g., impact of

22

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

our efforts resulted in 48 million liters of agricultural water saved annually), and comparisons of their efforts with other behaviors (e.g., impact of this product is equal to keeping 50 cars off the road for a day). Companies may determine these outcomes themselves or use services that calculate and document the impact. For example, Tonlé contracted with service company Green Story (2020) to calculate the environmental footprint of products and develop visuals that communicated the impact of the company’s efforts.

Certifications, Industry Associations, and Partnerships Assuring traceability, sustainability, and integrity of suppliers and effectively communicating impact of this work can be daunting endeavors. Companies with sustainable supply chains, including those discussed in this book, often use certifications, engagement in industry-wide initiatives and associations, and partnerships with NGOs and cooperatives to assist with these processes, to more effectively fulfill their sustainability goals, and elevate and communicate their achievements and impact.

Certifications Certifications are branded programs that assure and document that specific standards have been met by an individual, company, or organization. Certifications generally require a review or confirmation process by the certification entity, which can be a governmental organization, NGO, nonprofit company, or for-profit company. Certifications can be global in nature (e.g., Global Organic Textile Standard) or country-/region-specific (e.g., USDA Organic). They are also found throughout global fashion supply chains, including fiber and textile certifications and initiatives, factory production certifications, and full supply chain certifications.

Fiber and Textile Certifications and Initiatives Fiber and textile suppliers are multiple stages removed from the finished fashion product. Therefore, how can fashion brand companies trace their supply chain back to the fiber stage and assure the integrity and sustainability of the fibers and textiles used in their products? One strategy is by using fibers and textiles that are certified according to specific standards and characteristics (see “Examples of Fiber and Textiles Certifications”). One of the earliest such certifications is the Harris Tweed Act 1993. This Act of the UK Parliament established the Harris Tweed Authority “to promote and maintain the authenticity, standard and reputation of Harris Tweed” and defined the requirements of Harris Tweed as tweeds “handwoven

SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAINS

EXAMPLES OF FIBER AND TEXTILE CERTIFICATIONS ●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

The Better Cotton Standard System (bettercotton.org) covers environmental, social, and economic sustainability of cotton production bluesign technologies and the bluesign® standard (www.bluesign. com) is a holistic approach to enhancing environmental sustainability through eliminating harmful substances Cradle to Cradle Certified® Products Program (https://www. c2ccertified.org/), administered by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, includes criteria associated with material health, material reutilization, renewable energy and carbon management, water stewardship, and social fairness and strategies for social responsibility certifications of the Oeko-Tex® Association (https://www.oeko-tex. com/en/business/business_home/business_home.xhtml), comprised of independent textile testing institutes that enhance product safety and sustainability. Certification and labeling systems include OEKO-TEX® Standard 100, Made in Green by OEKO-TEX®, and Sustainable Textile Production (STeP) by OEKO-TEX® certifications to verify use of organic farming or production processes including the Global Organic Textile Standard (www.global-standard. org/) (GOTS), Organic Cotton Standard (OCS) (http://textileexch. wpengine.com/integrity/) overseen by Textile Exchange, and USDA National Organic Program (http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/ usdahome?navid=organic-agriculture) certifications overseen by Textile Exchange including ○○

Recylced Claim Standard (textileexchange.org/integrity/) verifies that recycled materials were used from input to final product

○○

Responsible Down Standard (textileexchange.org/integrity/) “verifies responsible animal welfare practices on farms in the down supply chain and tracks down and feathers from input to the final product”

○○

Responsible Wool Standard (responsiblewool.org/) is a voluntary global standard that addresses the welfare of sheep and rangeland used for grazing

23

24

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

by islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides, finished in the Outer Hebrides, and made from pure virgin wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides” (Harris Tweed Act 1993). Shaniko Wool Company produces wool certified by Textile Exchange’s Responsible Wool Standard.

Certification of Producers and Manufacturers Certification programs and initiatives for product manufacturers focus on environmental, social, and economic sustainability aspects of the factories and workers who produce fashion products for the ultimate consumer. The overall goals of these certification programs and initiatives are to assure compliance with environmental regulations and standards, labor regulations and standards (including the health and safety of workers), and customs regulations. Examples include fair trade certifications and social compliance certifications. ●●

●●

●●

fair trade is a global system that supports farmers and artisans in developing countries to make trade fair through paying a living wage, providing opportunities for advancement, employing environmentally sustainable practices, building long-term trade partnerships, assuring healthy and safe working conditions, and providing financial and technical assistance. Fair trade certifications assure consumers that the products they purchase have met standards set to achieve the principles of fair trade (see “Ten Principles of Fair Trade”). Examples of fair trade certifications include: ○○ Fairtrade International (https://www.fairtrade.net/) is a global system of organizations that promote Fairtrade Standards for a number of industries, including small-scale cotton producers ○○ Fair Trade USA (https://www.fairtradecertified.org/) is a nonprofit third-party auditor and certifier of fair trade products (Fair Trade Certified™), including clothing social compliance certifications assure fashion brand companies that production factories have met the standards and criteria established in a company’s, association, or certification entity’s social compliance programs and codes of conduct. For example, Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP) is an independent factory-based social compliance certification and education organization for the sewn products industries (WRAP 2020). Whereas social compliance programs were initially created as a risk management initiative, they have evolved to include educational and capacity building aspects that move the certifications “beyond auditing” businesses in the global fashion industry can also hire other companies and organizations that provide services around textile and product testing, factory auditing, and compliance with environmental regulations. For example, Intertek is a “Total Quality Assurance” provider offering auditing, product testing, and certification services

SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAINS

25

TEN PRINCIPLES OF FAIR TRADE 1. Opportunities for disadvantaged producers 2. Transparency and accountability 3. Fair trade practices 4. Fair payment 5. No child labor; no forced labor 6. Commitment to non-discrimination, gender equity, freedom of association 7. Good working conditions 8. Capacity building 9. Promote fair trade 10. Respect for the environment World Fair Trade Organization (2020). Ten Principles of Fair Trade. https://wfto.com/who-we-are#10-principles-of-fair-trade. Accessed March 23, 2020.

worldwide. Intertek works with clients to provide supply chain assurance services to meet standards and certifications associated with product quality, health and safety, environment, and social compliance (Intertek 2020). Another is Verité, an independent nonprofit organization that provides businesses with tools to eliminate labor abuses and empower workers through services including audits, consulting, research, and training (Verité 2021)

Comprehensive Supply Chain Certifications Companies within the global fashion supply chain, known as benefit companies or corporations, have a mission to create a public benefit in addition to generating a profit. This is achieved by focusing on environmental, social, and cultural sustainability throughout their supply chains. Going one step further, companies can assure stakeholders and consumers of the efforts through comprehensive supply chain certifications. A good example is certified B Corporations. B Corp™ certification is overseen by B Lab, “a nonprofit organization dedicated to using the power of business to solve social and environmental problems” (B Lab 2020). Certified B Corporations™ meet the “standards of verified, overall social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose” and can market themselves accordingly. Over 115 apparel, footwear, and accessory companies, including Indigenous Designs, have received this certification.

26

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Industry Initiatives, Associations, and Partnerships In addition to certifications, companies and their employees often participate in industry-wide collaborations that focus on strategies and practices associated with environmental, social, cultural, and economic sustainability. These consortia and partnerships allow companies to share best practices, support efforts beyond their own company, and join together in initiating new strategies and communicating impact of their work (see “Industry Associations and Initiatives”). For example, the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) is an alliance of companies across the apparel, footwear, and textile supply chains. SAC developed the Higg Index, “a standardized value chain measurement suite of tools for all industry participants” designed to “measure environmental and social labor impacts across the value chain” (Sustainable Apparel Coalition 2020). Partnerships among companies, NGOs, and cooperatives also create synergies to advance sustainability initiatives. NGOs are (generally) nonprofit voluntary citizens’ groups and associations that are organized in support of the public good at the local, national, or international levels. A fashion company may partner with an NGO to address common objectives around community and company needs. For example, a fashion company may partner with a local NGO as a liaison in communicating with, training, and building capacity among the individuals making products for the company, thus enhancing the economic development and sustainability within the community. According to the International Co-operative Alliance, a cooperative is “an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise” (ICA 2018). Cooperatives are characterized as autonomous organizations with open memberships and democratic member control and economic participation. They provide education and training to assure capacity building of members and community development. Artisans often form cooperatives to leverage financial resources, expertise, and scale of enterprise. For example, a cooperative of textile artisans can share knowledge, negotiate larger contracts than what they could do individually, and work together on projects that benefit all the members both economically and socially. Rather than working with individual artisans, fashion companies support and partner with cooperatives to create more effective and efficient supply chains and contribute to the sustainability of communities.

SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAINS

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS AND INITIATIVES ●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

Better Work (https://betterwork.org/), a partnership between the UN’s International Labour Organization and the International Finance Corporation, brings diverse groups together—governments, global brands, factory owners, and unions and workers—“to improve working conditions in the garment industry and make the sector more competitive” Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI, https://www.ethicaltrade.org/) is an “alliance of companies, trade unions and NGOs that promotes respect for workers’ rights around the globe. Our vision is a world where all workers are free from exploitation and discrimination, and enjoy conditions of freedom, security and equity” Fair Labor Association (FLA, https://www.fairlabor.org/) conducts and commissions research, implements projects associated with improving the lives of workers, conducts supply chain assessments for member companies, and accredits social compliance programs of companies Fair Wear Foundation (FWF, https://www.fairwear.org/), “works with brands and industry influencers to improve working conditions where your clothing is made” Responsible Sourcing Network (https://www.sourcingnetwork. org/) “champions human rights with vulnerable communities” (e.g., “forced labor in the cotton fields of Uzbekistan”) to “create positive change for brands, consumers, and the impacted communities.” The YESS (Yarn Ethically and Sustainably Sourced) initiative of the RSN is an “industry-wide due diligence system for yarn spinning mills to identify and eliminate forced labor” Sustainable Apparel Coalition (https://apparelcoalition.org/) is an alliance of companies around sustainable production with a focus on building the Higg Index, a standardized supply chain measurement tool. Using the Higg Index, brands, retailers, and facilities can measure environmental, social, and labor impacts to identify areas for improvement Worker Rights Consortium (https://www.workersrights.org/) is “an independent labor rights monitoring organization” that conducts investigations, publishes reports, and aids factory workers

27

28

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Learning through Narratives The narratives of the five companies included in this book describe personal and professional journeys that resulted in creating and implementing sustainable supply chains that evolve over time. Those interviewed offer insights into the struggles and rewards of embarking on these journeys, their inspirations, passions, and resilience. Historical contexts are also provided. The companies included were founded because of place and the value of place clearly resonates throughout the narratives, encompassing the role of geography, culture, and people in the operations and success of the companies. With this value as their foundation, the companies, their founders, and their business and artisan partners share what it means to successfully create sustainable communities and fashion products. We can learn much about evolving sustainable supply chains from these narratives: the goals, the strategies, the partnerships, the setbacks, and the successes. The narratives also inspire each of us to be part of the changing landscape of the global fashion industry, as a responsible designer, manufacturer, merchandiser, marketer, or consumer. Only through our ongoing, concentrated, and intentional efforts will the global fashion industry truly evolve to be environmentally, socially, culturally, and economically sustainable.

References and Resources ASQ—American Society for Quality (2020). What Is Employee Empowerment? https://asq.org/quality-resources/employee-empowerment. Accessed April 8, 2020. B Lab (2020). Certified B Corporations. https://bcorporation.net/. Accessed May 6, 2020. Burns, Leslie Davis (2019). Sustainability and Social Change in Fashion. New York: Fairchild Books/Bloomsbury Publishing. Burns, Leslie Davis and Kathy K. Mullet (2020). The Business of Fashion: Designing, Manufacturing, and Marketing (6th ed.). New York: Fairchild Books/ Bloomsbury Publishing. Business Dictionary (2020). Social Sustainability. http://www.businessdictionary. com/definition/social-sustainability.html. Accessed April 6, 2020. Chen, Hsiou-Lien and Leslie Davis Burns (2006). Environmental Analysis of Textile Products. Clothing and Textile Research Journal, 24(3), 248–61. Eileen Fisher (2020). Horizon 2030. https://www.eileenfisher.com/horizon2030. Accessed May 11, 2020. Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2017). A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning Fashion’s Future. http://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/publications. Accessed May 4, 2020. Fletcher, Kate (2010). Slow Fashion: An Invitation for Systems Change. Fashion Practice, 2(2), 259–65. Fletcher, Kate (2012). Durability, Fashion, Sustainability: The Processes and Practices of Use. Fashion Practice, 4(2), 221–38.

SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAINS

29

Global Fashion Agenda (2019). Pulse of the Fashion Industry: 2019 Update. https://globalfashionagenda.com/pulse-2019-update/. Accessed May 5, 2020. Global Fashion Agenda (2020). Commitment. https://globalfashionagenda.com/ commitment/. Accessed May 11, 2020. Green, Denise Nicole and Susan B. Kaiser (2020). Chapter 9 “Taking Offense: A Discussion of Fashion, Appropriation, and Cultural Insensitivity,” pp. 143–60. In Sara B. Marcketti and Elena E. Karpova (Eds.), The Dangers of Fashion: Towards Ethical and Sustainable Solutions. London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts. Green Story (2020). Home. https://greenstory.ca/. Accessed May 21, 2020. Gullingsrud, Annie. (2017). Fashion Fibers: Designing for Sustainability. New York: Fairchild Books/Bloomsbury Publishing. Harris Tweed Act 1993 (1993, July 20). https://www.harristweed.org/wp-content/ uploads/harrris_tweed_act_of_parliament_1993.pdf. Accessed June 22, 2020. International Co-operative Alliance (2018). Cooperative Identity, Values, and Principles. https://www.ica.coop/en/cooperatives/cooperative-identity. Accessed May 14, 2020. Intertek (2020). About Us. https://www.intertek.com/about/. Accessed May 6, 2020. Sustainable Apparel Coalition (2020). The Sustainable Apparel Coalition. https:// apparelcoalition.org/the-sac/. Accessed May 12, 2020. Sustainable Communities (2020). About Sustainable Communities. https://www. sustainable.org/about. Accessed May 6, 2020. Textile Exchange (2020). Responsible Wool Standard. https://textileexchange.org/ responsible-wool/. Accessed April 6, 2020. The Business of Fashion and McKinsey and Co. (2019, 2020, 2021). The State of Fashion 2021. https://www.businessoffashion.com/reports/news-analysis/thestate-of-fashion-2021-industry-report-bof-mckinsey. Accessed February 20, 2021. United Kingdom (2019, July 5). Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/implementing-the-sustainabledevelopment-goals/implementing-the-sustainable-development-goals–2. Accessed May 13, 2020. United Nations (2020). Sustainable Development Goals. https://www.un.org/ sustainabledevelopment/. Accessed May 11, 2020. US Environmental Protection Agency (2019). Facts and Figures about Materials, Waste, and Recycling; Textiles: Material-Specific Data. https://www.epa.gov/ facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/textiles-material-specificdata. Accessed May 6, 2020. US Environmental Protection Agency (2020). What Is Sustainability? https://www. epa.gov/sustainability/learn-about-sustainability#what. Accessed March 30, 2020. Verité (2021). About Verité. https://www.verite.org/about/. Accessed February 20, 2021. World Trade Organization (2020). International Trade and Market Access Data: Textiles and Clothing. https://wto.org. Accessed May 4, 2020. Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP) (2020). Home. http://www. wrapcompliance.org/. Accessed May 6, 2020. WRAP (2017, July). Valuing Our Clothes: The Cost of UK Fashion. http://www. wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/valuing-our-clothes-the-cost-of-uk-fashion_WRAP. pdf. Accessed May 5, 2020.

2 Imperial Stock Ranch and Shaniko Wool Company: Natural Adaptations

Adaptation: a trait that improves one’s ability to survive.

Lambing Season It was lambing season and it had been cold and windy for days, hovering around zero degrees Fahrenheit with twenty-four inches of snow on the ground. Everyone was stretched by the long hours and nonstop demands, made especially difficult by the unusually harsh weather. Jeanne Carver, coowner of Imperial Stock Ranch and Founder of Shaniko Wool Company, tells the story, I moved quietly through the lambing ground and looked for ewes who were in the process of lambing, worried by the cold and falling snow. Immediately I saw two newborn lambs near a huge snowbank. One might already be dead. I quickly checked for breathing and a pulse and went through the steps to stimulate a heartbeat and breathing, trying to save it. But it was too late; this one was lost. The second lamb was still alive but critical. Fear and frustration hit me with the realization of a battle I may not win. I picked up the lamb, barely alive, and coaxed the mother to follow as I moved toward the shed, praying this one could be saved so the ewe had a lamb to raise. Sheltering the lamb from the wind and blowing snow, I got them inside in just minutes, hopefully fast enough. Hustling to milk the ewe of the precious colostrum, I quickly tubed the warm milk directly into the lamb’s stomach and started drying

IMPERIAL STOCK RANCH AND SHANIKO WOOL COMPANY

31

and warming the lamb. I situated it under a heat lamp, wrapping it with hot towels and vigorously rubbing and drying it. Everything needed to be done at once and there was an intense urgency and responsibility to get it right. At the same time, I was sad that I was just moments too late to save the other one. I worked quickly, and as soon as possible, went back out in the storm to retrieve the other lamb and look for more ewes in labor. Luckily, no one was lambing so I retrieved the dead lamb. I picked it up and cradled it close, shielding it from the storm, unable to shed the instinctive protection. I thought to myself, “sometimes you lose them, but it never gets easy.” Jeanne continues, I placed it on a trailer load of straw and with tears of frustration blurring my vision, I turned to go back and check on its sibling. But as I turned, I thought I saw a tiny movement of the lamb’s body. It couldn’t be! This lamb was dead! I touched the lamb’s sides and put my finger in its mouth. There was a tiny gasp for air. And then another! How was this possible that it could still be alive? Jeanne goes on, Desperation flowed over me as everything needed to happen at once. I unzipped my jacket, placing the lamb inside close to the warmth of my body. Holding it with one arm, I raced from the lambing shed, jumped onto an all-terrain vehicle and drove as fast as possible to the house, one quarter mile away. Flying in the door, I sent my husband, Dan, to take my place at the lambing area and immediately began the intervention efforts. For the next hour I focused on the warming and stimulation processes. I stoked the fire in the wood stove placing the lamb as close as possible, tubed colostrum into its stomach, and used vigorous drying and rubbing techniques. I was desperate to save this lamb and so thankful for the miracle chance. I kept saying “I won’t let you die.” Amid this battle, the phone rang. Jeanne saw it was a call from New York and picked it up. Instantly, she was alerted by the voice on the other end yet preoccupied with her life-and-death struggle by the stove. The call was from the lead designer of the Polo Ralph Lauren knitwear team, with whom she had been working on a special product for the past eighteen months. She told Jeanne she had spoken with her colleagues in Sochi, Russia, where they had just finished dressing Team USA in their uniforms for the Opening Ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics. The team uniforms were made with wool yarns from Imperial Stock Ranch. Jeanne was to look in her email for photos; the design team wanted to include her in this moment and thank her for being a part of it.

32

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Jeanne was stunned and overwhelmed with gratitude that the Polo Ralph Lauren team would reach out and share this moment in real time. It added another layer of emotions to what she was feeling. As Jeanne tells it, All the years of work to take our “sunlight harvest” of wool fibers to market, against the odds, wondering if we could do it or if anyone would care. We somehow made our way past the many obstacles to arrive at this unimaginable place. There were no words to describe what I felt. We were connected to what was going on far away, yet we lived and worked in a different world, far from the fashion houses of New York City or the glory of the Olympics. I returned my focus to the task at hand, forging my way through the challenge by the woodstove. I would not let this lamb die. How did a family ranch in Oregon’s interior high desert enter the world of textiles and eventually align with partners such as Ralph Lauren? Jeanne says, “We never planned for anything like this.”

Changing a Mindset: Imperial Stock Ranch, Oregon, USA Located in the high desert of north central Oregon, Imperial Stock Ranch has been raising sheep and cattle and producing grains and hay since 1871. The ranch headquarters complex is a National Historic District and most of the significant buildings were built when there was only horsepower (Figures 2.1a and 2.1b). In each generation, the ranch has maintained its heritage and economic viability, making visionary changes in agricultural practices to assure the future of the operation. In the late 1980s, in cooperation with local natural resource agencies, Dan and Jeanne Carver, co-owners of Imperial Stock Ranch, developed a Conservation Management Plan for the ranch and have since operated under that plan with ongoing monitoring and adjustments. They believe that healthier natural resources lead to healthier harvests and bottom line, creating a more solid future for all. The key aspects of the conservation plan were first “mind set” changes, followed by new grazing strategies and changes in farming practices. Dan Carver implemented a broad rotational grazing plan for all livestock with fencing to control where the livestock grazed, enabling the rest and recovery of grasses and adding off-stream water developments to help ease the pressure on riparian areas (Figure 2.2). In the mid-1990s, thousands of acres of dry land crop fields, which had been farmed with the traditional summer fallow method, were converted to leading-edge “no till” farming practices, eliminating bare ground (the fallow years) and reducing erosion, chemical inputs, and fossil fuel use. Livestock were used to graze the fields, “breaking down” crop residue, adding manure naturally, and contributing

IMPERIAL STOCK RANCH AND SHANIKO WOOL COMPANY

33

Figures 2.1a and b Historic Imperial Stock Ranch Headquarters, Oregon, USA, established 1871. All images in this chapter courtesy of Jeanne Carver, unless noted otherwise.

to building soil and improving soil health. The added advantage they realized twenty-five years later was that growing plants on all acreage every year increased their ability to draw down carbon from the atmosphere and bank it in the soil. They assumed they would get a lesser yield each year, but as it turned out, the harvests also increased. All these changes contributed to healing both the uplands and the streams, and Figure 2.2 Sheep on native range land, helped restore traditional salmon Imperial Stock Ranch. runs, perhaps the single greatest indicator species of the health of the entire system. These natural resource management practices would become the underlying story of a brand and a product line. For more than 125 years, wool harvested at the Imperial Stock Ranch had sold as a commodity. And for 100 years to the same buyer. But the 1990s saw dramatic shifts in both the US sheep industry and American textile manufacturing. In the food sector, industrialization, consolidation, and import pressures affected the processing and pricing of lamb. Globalization, offshore production, and growth in the use of synthetics contributed to the already declining demand for wool in the United States (Jones 2004). In 1999, the Carvers called their longtime wool buyer only to learn that they were closing their regional wool processing facilities and would not be buying the wool. In addition, they were encountering high predator losses for lambs along with poor lamb prices and few buyers. Jeanne says, “My husband said, ‘either we find our own markets for wool and lamb or the sheep will be gone off this landscape.’”

34

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Figure 2.3  Sheep were an integral part of sustainable ranching operations.

Jeanne could not imagine the ranch without sheep (Figure 2.3). As Jeanne explained, In the late 1990s, we were still riding the synthetic fiber craze and wool was out of favor. But I really didn’t understand that. I knew nothing about the apparel trade and even less about processing and manufacturing wool products. I only knew about ranching, that sheep serve an important role on the land, and that wool is a timeless miracle fiber. Animals and the plants on which they graze have evolved together and their synergy is irreplaceable. Grazing animals are part of nature’s balance and cannot be forgotten. I had a new challenge, and I set out to find a way to deliver. Fortunately, I didn’t know I couldn’t do it.

Starting a Yarn Business: Converting Sunlight Energy Similar to the creative thinking Jeanne and Dan had used with maximizing the health of natural resources, they began thinking about how to make wool saleable. Jeanne says, “We took a very logical approach. I had no

IMPERIAL STOCK RANCH AND SHANIKO WOOL COMPANY

35

formal business background and did not begin by writing a business plan or doing any market research. That’s not to say a business plan isn’t a good idea. I just didn’t know I was supposed to have one.” She goes on, I first researched wool scouring processes as we wanted to start at a scale that moved wool by the truckload with commercial processing. I saw a story in an agricultural newspaper about two women who had mortgaged their homes, bought some equipment, and started a scouring and spinning mill in a town 180 miles from us. This one-stop-shop to wash, card, spin and ply wool to yarn sounded good, and yarn was something we could sell—maybe. Dan and Jeanne loaded a truck and drove to the mill, placing their first order. Their yarn business was born that day. According to Jeanne, “I never intended to start a business; I just wanted to sell the wool and it simply seemed like an extension of our ranching operation. Our motivation was not profit driven, it was the desire to honor our heritage and the role of sheep on the land. It did however, have to pay its way.” Jeanne soon learned the spinning mill had its limitations. In fact, she would continue to learn that all processors and manufacturers had limitations and “sweet spots.” For example, this mill could not dye the fiber. Jeanne wondered, How would we get colors? Was it important to have colors? I didn’t know, but I bought all the black Rambouillet “marker ewe”1 wool from a neighboring operation to blend with our natural white wool to make gray. We would start with two colors: natural and gray; and for two years that’s all we had. We now had a product. But there were immediate questions: How do I sell it? Who will buy it? How do I label and package it? We needed a logo, product information, care instructions, a place for people to go and get information on our product, a place to store the inventory and so on. My guides were logic and common sense. The most important question was who would buy the product? Jeanne soon began to dislike the word product. As she explains, These yarns were not products. They represented so much more – our heritage, resource management, culture, as well as the sheep and land. They were an interpretation of our life. They were converted sunlight energy. With that thought, my “sunlight story” took shape, and so did the

A sheep ranch will have one black “marker ewe” for every 100 white sheep as a way of expediting the process of counting the sheep.

1

36

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

first tag line for Imperial Stock Ranch, “Where Sustainability is a Way of Life.” The power behind this effort was the history of Imperial Stock Ranch, its continuous operation for 150 years, and the leading practices in conservation and sustainable ranching. We were already hosting tours of our heritage facilities, ag practices, and conservation work. I told of the magic of soil, seeds, sunlight, plants, grazing animals and the revitalization of landscape and waterways, and the return of salmon to our creeks. I told of sheep biting grasses and converting the sunlight energy in plants to other forms of protein useable by humankind: meat, wool and hides – food, clothing and shelter. These yarns were converted sunlight energy, and our processing, designing, and manufacturing partners continued the conversion of that sunlight fiber into useable items. Each stage was part of the story. Jeanne’s instincts were that customers would be drawn to them by their heritage and natural resource management. Her initial customers were those who came to the ranch on tour and to those who heard about what they were doing and found them. She offered the yarns to local gift shops and museum galleries associated with county and state history. She explains, I struggled with how to price them, not knowing anything about margins. That was a new word. What I did know was they were authentic. It started working. And right away I thought, “how do I reach more people and sell more wool?” Through a customer, I met with a woman who had founded

Figure 2.4  Felted cloche kit with pattern and yarn to knit your own.

IMPERIAL STOCK RANCH AND SHANIKO WOOL COMPANY

37

a very successful craft catalog company with national distribution. The meeting only lasted five minutes. She immediately agreed to take these “Oregon sunlight yarns,” but offered a suggestion. She knew the hand knitting industry and explained that hand knitters typically choose a design (a pattern) first and then purchase the yarn to make that item. She suggested I create designs for the yarn and she would carry both the patterns and yarn. I worked with a local woman to design the “Original Felted Hat” pattern, our first design, and for the next year, we sold the pattern and yarn in natural or gray. And we sold a lot. This same retailer introduced me to a very talented British knit designer who was living about 90 miles from our ranch. She began to create designs showcasing our yarns. This step required management of pattern design, technical editing, sample knitting, photography and additional packaging of both patterns and kits (Figure 2.4). Thanks to the support of people already established in the industry, I was gaining knowledge and skills along with sales. They helped give me the confidence, education and sales, to continue. As the yarn business grew, the small spinning mill that was processing the Carvers’ raw wool to yarn was struggling. They had no skilled millwright with the expertise to operate their equipment. This resulted in, among other issues, inconsistency in skein size. An order for yarn in 4-ounce skeins could come back in skeins ranging from 1¼ to more than 7½ ounces. It was very challenging for Jeanne to market the inconsistent product. The mill eventually closed in 2001 and Jeanne thought that might be the end of their yarn business as well. However, she located a mill, in the western region but located 800 miles from the ranch, that could scour, dye the fiber, and make a variety of yarn sizes. Jeanne says, From the beginning, we were trying to work as close to home as possible. To have a fully regional offering was our first choice, but that’s only possible if the infrastructure exists. Hauling all the wool once per year following shearing and picking up a load of yarns on the same trip, and then having yarns shipped to the ranch throughout the remainder of the year, was the simplest and most sustainable path for us. This new mill scoured the wool, dyed “in the locks,” and then carded and blended the colors to produce our line of heather colors, along with straight dyed colors. We developed a color palette that would eventually follow our efforts into the apparel, accessory and home fashion markets. The colors reflected, and were inspired by, our high desert environment. Colors like Spring Sage, Quail, Osprey, Rich Soil, Desert Twilight, Canyon Shadow and more. For me, this was magical. I never tired of talking about them or touching them or telling the story of these yarns. They were a genuine reflection of place, our life and something deeper and timeless.

38

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

WOOL TEXTILE INDUSTRY TERMINOLOGY carding: mechanical process used to clean and untangle wool fibers and, in some cases, intermix wool fibers in preparation for spinning yarns combing: process used to separate short fibers from long fibers that are combined to create a continuous strand of parallel fibers (top) dyed “in the locks”: wool fibers dyed prior to carding or combing locks: wool fibers as they exist in the fleece scouring: washing process used to remove grease and dirt from wool fibers skein: length of yarn that is loosely coiled and tied spinning: process for creating yarns stock dyeing: wool fibers are dyed as fibers prior to spinning top: wool that is scoured, carded, and combed with the fibers parallel in a strand top dyed: wool dyed at the stage when it is “top” woolen yarns: wool yarns usually made with shorter staple fibers that have been carded and then spun. The fibers are not necessarily parallel or of the same length, leaving air spaces, making the yarn fluffier. worsted yarns: wool yarns made with longer fibers that have been carded, combed, and then spun. Worsted yarns are more dense, stronger, and smoother than woolen yarns.

From Yarn to Finished Items Jeanne had a fascination with creating finished items with their wool. She confesses, Maybe because I wasn’t a knitter. And there were many other people who loved the yarn from Imperial Stock Ranch, but who also didn’t have the skills to make something. I joined local knitting, spinning, and weaving guilds where I met regional textile artisans who were skilled in these traditional crafts, including crochet and felt making. Relationships developed and led to production knitting, weaving, felting and cut-andsew operations that allowed me to produce custom orders for finished items. It also provided work for these women who could work from home around their family schedules earning fair wages, preserving traditional

IMPERIAL STOCK RANCH AND SHANIKO WOOL COMPANY

39

skills, and supporting their families and local communities. However, the time and effort required to manage so much custom work moved me toward a decision to offer a small collection of garments from which customers could choose (Figure 2.5). Within five years this collection was discovered by Norm Thompson, a national clothing retailer and catalog company, and a year later they placed their first order for Imperial Stock Ranch apparel and accessory items. In 2004, Imperial Stock Ranch began producing hundreds of units per style and color, in sweaters, coats, scarves, wraps, and hats. About twenty textile artists within approximately 100 miles of the ranch, mostly women, worked from their homes producing these items. The Norm Thompson relationship was important. Jeanne learned to effectively communicate with product development teams and buyers; align with vendor compliance systems and accounting offices of large companies; comply with all the testing and

Figure 2.5  Handwoven fabric and cut-and-sewn with local artisan production.

40

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

quality guidelines, packaging and labeling requirements; and meet production calendars for product distribution. In the five years she worked with Norm Thompson, she says they never missed a ship date, experienced a chargeback, or had any items returned. Textile artists were also creating one-of-a kind pieces for regional galleries and resorts. Imperial Stock Ranch’s visibility with direct sales of lamb and beef Figure 2.6  Too cold outside to dry yarn, Jeanne to restaurants was developing in filled her kitchen and all areas near the wood parallel to the wool effort. Some stoves in the house with racks of yarn. of Oregon’s most prestigious resorts had Imperial Stock Ranch lamb in their dining rooms and wool products in their boutiques, creating an effective synergy. The Carvers’ multifaceted venture selling Imperial Stock Ranch wool, yarn, apparel, accessories, lamb, and pelts grew. What most people did not realize was that much of the work in preparing yarns for wholesale or retail sales occurred at the ranch. Jeanne says, At this stage we were very labor intensive. The mill did not steam finish our yarns, requiring us to do the final wash on all yarn that came back to us, hang it to air dry, twist the skeins by hand, “pick” obvious vegetable matter from the yarn, and hand tie labels on the yarn skeins before they went out for retail sale (Figure 2.6). We washed and hung thousands of pounds of yarn by hand. All inventory was housed at the ranch headquarters and all orders shipped from the historic Hinton House (c. late 1890s), the showpiece of the ranching empire in its early days and located at the ranch headquarters. Jeanne understood that most competitors’ yarn was made with fiber grown in other countries, and that most finished goods were coming from offshore. In keeping with their identity, she felt that they needed a phrase or mark that immediately communicated two things: their important heritage and American origins. For use in storytelling and marketing, she filed a trademark registration for The American Wool Tradition. Jeanne says, “Who better than us to hold that mark with 150 years of raising sheep. It would become part of our brand, which was happening quite by accident.”

IMPERIAL STOCK RANCH AND SHANIKO WOOL COMPANY

41

Ready-to-Wear: Imperial Collection by Anna Cohen Four years into the relationship with Norm Thompson, Jeanne felt the growing pressure to keep bringing them new apparel and accessory styles for their fall and holiday seasons. She explains, That’s a lot of pressure for someone who never studied fashion and doesn’t know how to knit. In 2008, I reached out to apparel designers I had read about. My thinking was that one of these rising stars in the fashion world might like to work with “Oregon sunlight yarns or fabrics” in their collections, or be able to create designs for me. I knew it would take someone who could walk the talk of sustainability to make it work. This was 2008! Traceability was not on the tip of everyone’s tongue, and Know Your Farmer was confined to the plate. Internationally known sustainable fashion designer Anna Cohen responded. Over a series of meetings between Jeanne and Anna and a final visit with Anna at the ranch, a mutual interest and respect developed and Anna came to work for them on an apparel collection. This collaboration was mutually rewarding: Jeanne took Anna on a journey to the roots of fashion and Anna challenged Jeanne to broaden the yarn and fabric capabilities. Jeanne strengthened their work with grant funds awarded through a USDA Value-Added Producer Grant program, requiring them to conduct a market research and feasibility study, leading to a business plan. Up to this point, yarns had only been spun in the woolen system, resulting in yarns with larger gauges suitable for outerwear apparel and accessories. To create fabrics suitable for skirts, dresses, and trousers, finer gauge yarns were needed, and preferably spun in the worsted spinning system. As Jeanne explains, Facing this challenge was definitely outside my comfort zone, but I forged ahead. We needed combed wool “top” used in the worsted spinning systems. With only one top maker in the U.S., they were my next call. Other people doing what I was doing, might have visited these facilities in person. And doing so would have benefited my education, but I was an active part of our ranch team and the time away and travel costs seemed too extravagant. In fact, every supply chain partner I utilized, I did so without having visited them first, operating on gut feeling and trust. My call to Chargeurs Wool USA yielded the same result as with every other partner. They were instrumental in guiding us to the next step. They explained their processes and capabilities, minimums, and procedures. They also gave me contact information and short summaries of the capabilities of additional mills. Each company has their expertise and niche, and many

42

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

times the companies work collaboratively on various projects, even though they are competitors. This willingness makes everyone stronger. I spent time on the phone with multiple worsted spinning mills, gauging their potential interest in working with us. I did not visit any of them in person. I made decisions on where to ship bales of “top,” hundreds and thousands of pounds of wool, based on phone call relationships. I trusted them and we moved forward. I have incredible respect for all the textile processors and manufacturers who work together and with people like us, making products close to home. The keys to success are the people inside these companies and the relationships you build together, just as with the local and regional artisans. That’s how it works. It is also why I do not like the term supply chain, because it does not reflect the humanness of the system. The Imperial Collection by Anna Cohen with their “Ranch to Runway” presentation of Oregon sunlight headlined the 2009 Portland Fashion Week to rave reviews. Jeanne had never been to a fashion show before and reflects, I learned that week what fashion critics are. By the time we would be on the runway, I was petrified. I kept thinking I had no business being there. Before our collection was presented, I was handed a microphone to tell the story of “sunlight.” I spoke of place, of gifts of the Creator, of

Figure 2.7a and b  Imperial Collection by Anna Cohen at 2009 Portland Fashion Week.

IMPERIAL STOCK RANCH AND SHANIKO WOOL COMPANY

43

the roots of fashion, of soil and water, grasslands and grazing animals and salmon, and wool; and how we’re all called to honor what we’ve been given, and what is timeless. I spoke of our challenges and our efforts to overcome those challenges, and the importance of making what we need to survive without crossing an ocean to do it. And how important these processes and skills are to every culture, including ours. Then our apparel came on the runway. The audience applauded like crazy, and the critics? It was like they had recorded my every word on sustainable land management in their write-ups. It was one of those times in this wool journey, where there are no words for how I felt (Figure 2.7 a and b).

Sustainable Bridges: East and West, Rural and Urban The move into worsted spun products required the Carvers to go to the eastern United States, where the US infrastructure remains. This was a big change in their efforts. Jeanne shares, Part of me hesitated with this. It seemed so far away. However, we expanded whereby raw materials were grown in the west and processing and manufacturing were completed in the east. This was an important step for growth at the time. Once we shipped the raw wool east, our supply chain would be there, except for the regional artisans who were still active in product development and special projects. Our work would continue to utilize local materials and labor to create fashion that was bridging urban and rural communities, stimulating our regional economy, and now bridging west and east in fully traceable products. At this point, our local economic development people estimated our textile efforts were worth US$3 million to the local economy. Jeanne continues, We had been developing our meat program direct to restaurants in parallel with our textile efforts. It was through the meat program that I noticed the differences between us, the “divides between urban and rural,” were evaporating quickly. We had often felt separated from our urban neighbors, but when I arrived at the back door of the kitchens in Portland with fresh lamb, I recognized a need for these neighbors in a way I hadn’t known before. We needed them and they needed us for a growing customer base that desired traceability and confidence in how their food was grown. With our differences becoming less important and the common ground more so, it was an enriching experience. Similarly,

44

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

the people managing and working in the spinning mills and dye houses, in the textile mills, and in the cut and sew factories were real to me in a way they had never been. It was powerful. I had a whole new family. We were connected and their survival and success were important to me. Motivated by the need to bring the fabrics Anna would use to create a full line of apparel, they found all the partners needed to process wool to finished fabrics (woven and knit), construct apparel, knits and accessories utilizing wool and, additionally, the pelts of the market lambs.

The Business Naturally Adapts Following the 2009 Portland Fashion Week, Jeanne admits she reflected on the significant financial resources and expanded skill sets it would take to expand the Imperial Collection by Anna Cohen. However, unlike other decisions where she jumped in, with this one she hesitated. She adds, I could never let this wool effort threaten our underlying resource, the ranch itself. We decided that for now, we would focus on the root product which was yarn. About this same time, I learned what trade shows were. I was ten years into this effort but I had never been to a trade show. Encouraged by one of the local yarn shop owners who carried our yarns, we decided to show at The National NeedleArts Association (TNNA) trade show. Jeanne learned a new set of skills, including booth design, equipment needs, how to ship to and from the show, how to merchandise products, and how to tell an engaging story. As Jeanne reflects, “We were competing with the big yarn companies. I studied the TNNA website and looked at photos, then relied on logic and instinct. I wanted to present the most important features of our story and product which meant telling the story of land, animals, heritage, and people.” She developed sales tools and packets of materials to provide to potential customers. Our entry into the needle arts market was well received with overwhelming positive feedback and reaction to our booth display and products. Our yarn business grew 700% in the next 18 months. My newest challenge was building an inventory to eliminate back orders for our growing list of retail partners. This experience rapidly expanded my education on the wholesale/retail model. I was also introduced to advertising and editorial aspects of the industry. We also had to analyze the business aspects of trade shows – their costs versus their benefits. It was the beginning, however, of really feeling part of an industry and expanding the “family” of people connected to the Imperial Stock Ranch wool effort. I worked hard to help

IMPERIAL STOCK RANCH AND SHANIKO WOOL COMPANY

45

the retail shops tell our story by creating point of sale materials that I felt were important in building relationship, loyalty, and helping them sell the product. I provided them with ranch brochures and mounted photos of place to display with the yarn. I also learned how important trunk shows were to help retailers draw traffic and drive sales. We began making extra samples and managing a rotating schedule of trunk shows at retailers around the country. Anna Cohen and Jeanne continued their work together with Anna leading the design and creative effort and designing all the do-ityourself patterns. They returned to headline the 2011 Portland Fashion Week, but this time their story was the importance of traditional skills and the entire collection was patterns for do-it-yourself creations, a first for Portland Fashion Week (Figure 2.8). When developing the worsted yarn supply chain for apparel, worsted spun yarns were also added to the hand knitting collection. These yarns were now growing in popularity, but what was missing were the beautiful heather colors similar to their woolen spun yarns. Jeanne says,

Figure 2.8 2011 Portland Fashion Week with all DIY knitwear designs.

I still had much to learn about textiles. In the woolen spinning system, wool can be dyed in the locks or stock dyed when it’s clean but not yet spun. Then various dyed wools are “blended” during the carding process to create heathers. These heathers are beautiful and their rich tones make them very desirable to crafters and apparel designers alike. In the worsted spinning system, the process is not so simple. You do not have the opportunity to blend colors during the carding phase, because the worsted spinning mills begin their process with wool that has already been combed into “top.” They spin it and then dye the yarn to solid colors. To create heathers in the worsted system, it is necessary to dye the “top,” then do the blending while recombing the fiber and then spin it. The challenge was that, just as there was only one top maker in the U.S., there was also only one top dyer. And their minimums were so large that only a few large companies or the military could meet them. Textile mills I spoke with offered only one option for smaller quantities, import the dyed top, spin it in the U.S., and market it as yarn made in America. I knew I could not do this because we had a completely U.S. product and program with a U.S. wool story based on ours and other ranches in the western region.

46

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Jeanne struggled with this challenge for some time, and eventually worked with the stock dyer and one of the worsted spinning mills together, to create a way to “open” the top, and adapt one of the stock dyer’s kettles to dye it, then recomb the top and spin small batch heathers (Figure 2.9). This development allowed Jeanne to bring small batch heathers to both her hand-knit yarn line and to apparel brand partners as well. Jeanne felt this might become important, and to communicate that her worsted heathers were completely American in origin and production, she filed her second trademark registration for American Heathers, a 100 percent US-grown and -spun heather yarn Figure 2.9  Spinner and dyer meeting together or fabric. In addition, once Jeanne to work on a solution to small batch “top” began shipping raw wool east, she dyeing. was motivated to be as sustainable as possible. She then moved her woolen spinning east as well, consolidating all of processing and manufacturing into a single region.

“The Call” The yarn business was doing well, and the number of retail partners and sales were growing. Then in late summer 2012, during the London Olympic Games, Jeanne received what she refers to as The Call. As Jeanne tells the story, This wool effort had been very difficult. I always hoped once we got to a certain point that it would get easier. But it didn’t. For 13 years there were continually new lessons and challenges. It required incredible persistence. Just as in natural resource management, you have to continue to observe, monitor and “correct course” toward the goals or mission. I used to tell Dan, “If only someone would drive down this dirt road and see what we’re doing – someone with the power to influence others, it could make all the difference.” And then on a beautiful summer day in early August 2012 the phone rang. I took the call outside. There was a group of sheep on the hillside, grazing their way toward sunset and the night time bedding ground up on the ridge. I was watching and listening to them as I picked up the call, noticing it was not a local number. The gentleman on the other end started asking questions about our yarns. I assumed he was with a yarn store and asked him which shop he was with. He replied that he was with product development for Polo Ralph

IMPERIAL STOCK RANCH AND SHANIKO WOOL COMPANY

47

Lauren in New York. It took me a few seconds to process this reply. I said, “You’re kidding me … “ He said, “No, I’m sitting right here on Madison Avenue.” And I responded, “That’s incredible! I’m sitting outside here in the Oregon desert. In fact, can you hear the sheep?” I held up the phone and let him listen to a symphony of sheep sounds – ewes and lambs calling to each other and the jingling of sheep bells – which transported him for just a moment into our world. We carried on a long conversation, and truthfully, I sold my heart out. That night I put together a packet of information and sample skeins of yarn to send to New York the next day. At the time I thought it was exciting but didn’t think it would end up generating any business for us. Jeanne goes on, He called almost daily for the next month and became known as “my guy in New York.” About a month after the initial call, a design team from Polo Ralph Lauren came to visit us (Figure 2.10). We toured the land, visited groups of animals, walked through the historic buildings at the headquarters, fed them Imperial Stock Ranch “local cuisine,” and touched the yarns. Over the next few months, we continued communication and I filled sample orders. Six months after the initial call, they placed a production order that was larger than any single yarn order I had ever received. We were to deliver dyed yarns (nine different colors) to their knitting partners. At that point, all we knew was that these yarns were for a special project. But soon we learned they were for Ralph Lauren’s first Made in America Olympic uniform program. The size of the order motivated me to apply for and receive a working capital grant from the USDA Producer Grant program which helped us to move into Figure 2.10  Designers from Polo Ralph Lauren, learning about where it all begins—the soil. this and other new markets. Fifteen months after Jeanne took that initial call, on October 29, 2013, Ralph Lauren announced on the NBC Today show that the parade uniforms Team USA would wear in the XXII Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, were all Made in America (Figure 2.11). They had worked with more than forty partners in the United States to make Team USA uniforms, and after extensive interviews, Ralph Lauren chose to name Imperial Stock Ranch

48

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Figure 2.11  Team USA in the Parade of Nations at the Opening Ceremony of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Opening Ceremony Sweaters were made with Imperial Stock Ranch yarn. Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images.

and tell their story. They made a short film about the Opening Ceremony Sweater made with Imperial Stock Ranch yarn, and the film went live on their website (see link in References and Resources). Portions of that film played on television affiliates across the country and the story was widely publicized in the media. Jeanne says, Our phone started ringing and it kept ringing. My email inbox overflowed. Ultimately, it would change our life. This was the someone who came down our dirt road and had the power to influence others. “The Call” that came in during the London Olympics led to the stuff you dream of. Actually, it was beyond any dreams I had ever had. That call would open doors and influence our efforts and business in profound ways. I’ve always said that pursuing excellence is about doing the little things, one step at a time. Have a mission and goals, but day to day, keep your head down and do the work in front of you. That’s how you achieve the mission. Ralph Lauren did not just call us out of the blue. I had been working to sell wool direct and keep sheep on the land for 13 years, when the phone rang that day.

IMPERIAL STOCK RANCH AND SHANIKO WOOL COMPANY

49

The work with Ralph Lauren took Imperial Stock Ranch textiles to yet another level. Their sophisticated vendor compliance process, the broad and leading testing programs for quality control as well as corporate responsibility (e.g., toxic metals in dyes, wash tests and colorfast specs, or politically impacted origins of materials), and the number of departments and the amount of communications required to do something that would seem simple all elevated Jeanne’s experience and capabilities. She successfully negotiated all barriers, acquired new knowledge, enhanced her network, and further solidified relationships with her supply chain partners, including other opportunities within the Ralph Lauren organization. Jeanne summarizes, “The greatest aspect of the relationship with Ralph Lauren besides the business, was that it not only increased our visibility, but our credibility.”

The Power of Purpose beyond Profit Requests to work with Imperial Stock Ranch and make products in America poured in. Jeanne says she stopped counting at 200 inquiries those first weeks. From independent designers to start-up companies to established brands, all were reaching out. Jeanne notes, Many of those requests turned into orders and relationships and many did not. I treated each one the same, as that is part of our culture, but it was a huge job. People would give me advice on how to do it more efficiently, but I struggled to change how I was handling it. I did not think of myself as “business.” Remember, this effort was an extension of our ranching and that meant our way of life. Our door is always open, and everyone is treated the same. The customer who buys 10 pounds or 10,000 pounds will get the same hospitality and tour at our place. I did not want that to change. At this stage, I became even more aware of how I was part of the larger textile industry. Any work I could bring through our U.S. mills and manufacturing partners was helping them. They had helped me get started and now I could bring more business to them. I will forever be grateful for the people inside these companies. As Jeanne shares, People were identifying with Imperial Stock Ranch life through our story; and by being a customer and partner they were joining our efforts and becoming part of that story. When Ralph Lauren named us as their partner and told the story behind the Olympic uniforms, they touched everyone in the knitting factory, spinning mill, dye house, top maker, the wool producers, our bankers, UPS drivers, postmasters, our relatives, neighbors, and communities. They truly did make all of us connected to

50

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Team USA in a way we hadn’t been before. Inclusiveness is a beautiful thing—it honors (Figure 2.12).

Expanding Markets The next step for Jeanne was expanding her markets. Similar to previous efforts, opportunities arose through her partnerships. The grant Jeanne received as part of the first Ralph Lauren order required that she follow through on market research components of the feasibility study. Through Figure 2.12  Even the UPS delivery man loves sheep! this research, the potential And is invaluable to the supply chain. success of an apparel line was determined and she would need to create and offer an apparel line in a test market. Jeanne and Anna finalized the line in late 2013, took orders, and began production in early 2014, delivering a new version of the Imperial Collection by Anna Cohen in fall 2014 (Figure 2.13). At this time, yarns for both the needle arts market and production yarn markets and woven fabrics for apparel came from textile mills in the northeast United States. As Jeanne tells it, The weaving manager suggested I make wool blankets from our yarns, as he felt they would be a beautiful product like no other in the market. I told him I was not interested in making blankets. We were already so busy and I was not excited about another market channel, but he was very persistent and had decades of experience in textiles. He proceeded to take some of our yarns and weave samples for me. When I saw them, I realized that he was onto something. About the same time, one of our retail partners for apparel asked me if we could make knit throws just like the fabric in one of the Imperial Collection sweaters she was wearing. This led to a discussion about home textiles, and she indicated her interest in adding those to her order. With this encouragement toward home fashions, the Imperial Blanket was born (Figure 2.14a and b). Working with yarns we were already spinning for use in other markets, I added throws, blankets and pillows to our production at the knitting factory where we were knitting apparel. With a selection of knit and woven blankets, throws and pillows, labels and packaging, we were ready for the home fashion market.

IMPERIAL STOCK RANCH AND SHANIKO WOOL COMPANY

Figure 2.13  Holmes Sweater from the Imperial Collection by Anna Cohen.

51

52

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Figure 2.14a and b Home fashions were added to the line of products with Imperial Stock Ranch wool.

IMPERIAL STOCK RANCH AND SHANIKO WOOL COMPANY

53

Jeanne tested her home fashions at the NY NOW trade show. She knew they could make these products, but did not know if they would sell. Jeanne says, We were new at this, had no marketing strategy or campaign, no advertising and no one knew us. I put large photos of our landscape, sheep, working dogs and cowboys in the booth, and included some of our lambskins just for texture. I put a basket of clean combed wool out front for everyone to touch, and threw a luxurious chunky knit throw in its pure natural color on the front table. The response was overwhelming. People flooded into our booth. I asked many people what had stopped them, and the answers were things like the photos of the sheep, or the photo of the dogs, the cowboy on the horse, and the beautiful textures and colors they saw. Remember those names? Quail, Osprey, Spring Sage, Canyon Shadow Blue, Desert Landscape. They were all there in those beautiful blankets. Once I began telling the Imperial Stock Ranch story, our heritage and sustainable practices on the land, they were connecting. We developed relationships with companies including Room & Board, Ethan Allen, Coyuchi and more, along with interior designers and owners of home fashion stores who placed orders for our blankets and throws. Meanwhile, the door to Ralph Lauren Home had opened. With her supply chain partners, Jeanne had the ability to make and deliver a US blanket program in sizes from baby to king, along with throws, shams, and pillows. Partnerships and expanded markets continued. In early 2015, Jeanne and Robert Miller, the Vice-Chairman of National Spinning Co., Inc., began discussing the idea of a branded yarn program for the trade. They met with Ralph Lauren’s design and production teams and presented this new model. Ralph Lauren’s teams liked the concept and felt it would make Imperial Stock Ranch a stronger partner for them. National Spinning would oversee the textile processes and quality control of the yarn with the Imperial Stock Ranch fiber and story. National Spinning launched their Imperial Stock Ranch American Merino wool yarn program later that year. It was these Imperial Stock Ranch American Merino yarns that would later be chosen by Ralph Lauren for the knitwear in the Opening and Closing Ceremony Uniforms worn by Team USA for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games at Pyeongchang 2018 (Figure 2.15). Visibility of Imperial Stock Ranch expanded in other ways as well. In 2015 Jeanne was invited to participate in Shima Seiki’s Global 3D Knitting Seminars and Workshops. Shima Seiki pioneered the WHOLEGARMENT design and production concept in textile production, creating an entire garment without material waste, reducing energy and costs. Imperial Stock Ranch represented the beginning of this conservation of resources in textiles, starting with management of soil, grasslands, and grazing animals who produce the fiber, which became yarn, and then moved to the design software and production technologies created by Shima Seiki.

54

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Figure 2.15  Team USA athletes take part in the Closing Ceremony of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics; hat, gloves, and sweater are all 100 percent wool. Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images.

Traceability and Certification In the summer of 2015, Jeanne had just completed another successful NY NOW trade show where she realized she had become the “Farmer’s Market of Textiles.” She was breaking down the booth when her cell phone rang and a gentleman identified himself as being from the outdoor clothing brand Patagonia. Jeanne says, We talked at length and it was the beginning of another new chapter. Patagonia was interested in building a wool supply chain that would require wool producers be third party audited for land management and animal husbandry practices. They would consider doing so in the U.S., if we were willing to become certified. Years earlier, Dan and I had the privilege of meeting Yvon Chouinard when he had visited our ranch while fishing the Deschutes River. After several weeks and additional discussions, they sent a team to visit the ranch. Based on that visit, they suggested we be one of the pilot audit sites for a new voluntary international standard being developed by Textile Exchange called the Responsible Wool Standard. Over the next two years as the certified wool effort developed, we were involved in providing feedback, hosting the audits, and in communications with Patagonia teams as well as other parts of the U.S. supply chain. We also began a separate relationship

IMPERIAL STOCK RANCH AND SHANIKO WOOL COMPANY

55

with Textile Exchange and their efforts toward improving sustainability in the entire textile industry. The Responsible Wool Standard has two strong components, one being animal husbandry practices, and the other being the care of the land where the animals graze. Additionally, there is a strong traceability component to assure that the certified fiber is actually in the products as claimed. In the spring of 2017, Imperial Stock Ranch became the first ranch in the world officially certified under the Responsible Wool Standard (Figure 2.16). Jeanne explains that they did not have to change any of their practices, but they did have to make improvements in record keeping and documentation. When asked if she feels it was worth it, she says, Perhaps because of our unique experience in textiles and direct food markets where we were used to meeting customers faceto-face, we understood why a standard like this was important. Most people do not have Figure 2.16 Imperial Stock Ranch close connections to agriculture in a way that was the first ranch in the world to helps them know what is involved in raising receive Responsible Wool Standard food or fiber; and most of what they know certification. Courtesy of Textile Exchange. seems to come from sensational news stories. People want to be confident in their food choices, and increasingly today, in their clothing and textile choices too. Top priorities are that animals are treated humanely and that the environment is cared for. Healthy soil, healthy grasslands, clean water and clean air, are top priorities for all of us. A voluntary standard like the Responsible Wool Standard is an opportunity to reward farmers and ranchers for their responsible stewardship. Brands are more at risk today in their sourcing and manufacturing choices than they’ve ever been, and are choosing their partners carefully. And consumers are demanding transparency and traceability. The Responsible Wool Standard helps brand and consumer confidence, and contributes positively to brand mission and consumer loyalty.

A Sense of Place In looking back and contemplating the future, Jeanne reflects on the meaning of their work, It took us awhile to learn that this journey was about something bigger than us. In the beginning, we just wanted sheep to remain on our place, and it seemed preposterous that wool had to be shipped around the world

56

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

to be processed, made into a simple sweater, hat, or mittens, and then sold back to us, especially since we raised the raw material (Figure 2.17). We were seeing a large cultural shift that discounted the knowledge and skills necessary for daily survival found in every culture – food, clothing and shelter; and which had been critical to building our country. We were seeing the broader industry and our neighbors devalued, minimized, overlooked, and struggling or out of business. We were watching a radical change in our culture, happening so quickly that the total costs and impacts were yet to be determined and beyond our understanding. As I worked on this challenge and met and learned from others, it became clear that these pieces of our culture were as vital to us as to all others. Only as a society, we didn’t see it anymore. We were so disconnected from the origins (roots), that it was easy to cast the skills, processes, and people aside. But when the roots are cut off, how quickly things wither. This is why I say, that as I went down this road, it wasn’t a business, it was a mission – to repair the broken thread tying people to the roots. I didn’t set out to make this my mission, it became so by default. Humankind spent thousands of years building connections and community to enable our survival, to see growing independence and disconnect unraveling it all today, and perhaps, to our destruction. We need to rebuild the roots one step at a time. We made an intentional decision to work close to home and put our sense of place in place again.

Figure 2.17  Sunset at the Imperial Stock Ranch.

IMPERIAL STOCK RANCH AND SHANIKO WOOL COMPANY

57

Jeanne continues, Early in our wool journey, we thought people were coming to connect with our history. But turns out, it was not about us. What I was really taking to market was agriculture and a relationship. Our ranching activities are timeless; the traditional skills used to process and create textile goods from fibers are timeless; and our products reflected these classics. We hadn’t invented anything new, but what we had was authentic, and it resonated with individual customers and brands alike. Somehow our story and product were a way for people to connect to their own history and to the land (Figure 2.18). A generation or two back in every family, someone is tied to the land. The traditional skills of growing food and fiber, and the skills to transform the harvests into the items every family needed, used to exist in every family in every culture around the world. Over time, people have become disconnected from those skills and therefore from those places. The desire we see growing today is to reconnect with those places and, in some cases, the skills too. There is a renewed appreciation. And even if it is not your work, knowing the people, processes and places behind your purchases increases your sense of purpose, value, and worthiness. You become part of the story and part of the mission of stewardship, both environmental and cultural.

Figure 2.18  Reconnecting to the land, the animals, and our roots is a necessary next step.

58

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Life always requires adaptation. For almost twenty years Jeanne had walked the path of taking her sunlight wool harvest to product, enriching their lives, and hopefully the lives of all the people and companies who became part of the Imperial Stock Ranch family. With increasing health challenges close Figure 2.19 Shaniko Wool Company offers to home that required her time and RWS certified wool. effort, Jeanne sold the fiber product business in late 2015. And while focusing her efforts on caring for family, the inquiries from brands and manufacturers for traceable and sustainable wool never ceased. By the fall of 2018, Jeanne felt it was time to renew her efforts, and created a new company. Shaniko Wool Company, named for the nearby ghost town and “Wool Capital of the World” in the early 1900s, was the logical next chapter in her story. She established Shaniko Wool Company (Figure 2.19) to support better prices for ranchers in the region who choose to join the voluntary Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) program, and to deliver a traceable, certified wool supply to brands. Shaniko Wool Company is an approved US-based Farm Group supplying certified wool under the RWS and is currently the only RWS-certified wool in North America. Shaniko Wool Company supports ranchers by streamlining the certification process, pays the fees, and purchases the wool, scaling a fully traceable wool supply that meets the responsible sourcing requirements of many of today’s brands. Jeanne believes that honoring place and the origins of fiber are key elements in today’s fashion and textile industries. Having lived and worked on a heritage ranching operation for decades, Jeanne always knew that the greatest value they bring as managers of working landscapes goes beyond the harvests—it is the positive impacts to soil, grasslands, and the greater ecosystem. She is excited for the future of Shaniko Wool Company as her next step is documenting the climate impacts of their ranching practices. In 2020 Shaniko Wool Company launched its Carbon Initiative, measuring the aggregate value of the combined land management impacts of the ranches in their Farm Group, and quantifying wool’s contribution. That information is then paired with educational outreach, marketing messages, and market value. The total carbon sequestration data and Carbon Offset Values are third party–verified. This work provides proven impacts and real value to their industry partners, and additional income to producers. With this fully traceable certified wool effort, Jeanne and Shaniko Wool Company continue work that honors place, enriches the spirit, and makes relationship with the land more complete. The Imperial Stock Ranch carries on through continual adaptions, still producing sheep, cattle, grains, and hay as it has for 150 years. A quote in the 1946 History of Wasco County,

IMPERIAL STOCK RANCH AND SHANIKO WOOL COMPANY

59

Oregon, by William McNeal says it all: “Post offices may come and post offices may go, but the Imperial Stock Ranch will go on forever.” If the past is an indication of the future, it will.

References and Resources American Wool Council (2020). American Wool. https://www.americanwool.org/. Accessed May 19, 2020. Jones, Keithly G. (2004, January). Trends in the U.S. Sheep Industry. United States Department of Agriculture. Agriculture Information Bulletin Number 787. www.ers.usda.gov. Accessed May 6, 2020. KGW8 (2018, January 25). Imperial Stock Ranch Helps Outfit Team USA. KGW. com. https://www.kgw.com/video/entertainment/television/programs/live-at-7/ imperial-stock-ranch-helps-outfit-team-usa/283-2894507. Accessed May 19, 2020. National Research Council (2008). Changes in the Sheep Industry in the United States. The National Academies of Sciences. http://dels.nas.edu/resources/staticassets/materials-based-on-reports/reports-in-brief/SheepFinal.pdf. Accessed May 19, 2020. Pacific Northwest Fibershed (2018, January 1). Producer Story: Imperial Stock Ranch. Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/252091274. Accessed May 19, 2020. Ralph Lauren (2013, November 1). Made in USA: Sweater for 2014 Team USA Olympic Winter Games. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7BDDj_ NBEQ. Accessed May 19, 2020. Textile Exchange (2020). Responsible Wool Standard. https://textileexchange.org/ responsible-wool/. Accessed May 19, 2020.

3 Angela Damman Yucatán: Advancing Cultural Traditions

A Henequén Bag Angela Damman Yucatán, started with a bag. Not just any bag; but a bag that interconnected geography, history, sustainable agriculture, and cultural traditions. As Angela Damman, founder of Angela Damman Yucatán, tells the story, We had recently moved our family to the Yucatán and were living on an old hacienda that had once been a henequén plantation. We were casting about for ideas on how to make a living here, when one day, I was passing through our village and saw an old man dressed in traditional dress wearing a cross-body bag over his shoulder. I thought, “Wow! That’s a good-looking bag!” His entire ensemble was handsome. Part of it was that he hadn’t just bought a trendy bag. It was probably something he had been wearing his whole life, something that stood the test of time and use. I became curious about the textile it was made from. What was it and where did it come from? And of course, it came from plants, from henequén, the same plants that were growing all around our new found home! For me, a light bulb came on in that moment. This idea would take me full circle back to agriculture where my life began. That day set us on a journey that would become richer than we could have ever imagined.

The Yucatán Peninsula This journey of Angela Damman Yucatán embarks from the place, the Yucatán Peninsula in northeast Mexico, a region known as the center of

ANGELA DAMMAN YUCATÁN

61

Figure 3.1 El Castillo (The Castle) in the ancient Mayan city of Chichén Itzá. Photo by Leslie Burns.

ancient Mayan civilization with cities including Chichén Itzá (Figure 3.1), Izmal, Mayapan, Ek’Balam, Uxmal, Coba, Tulum, and Ichcaanzihóo (now Mérida). In the sixteenth century, as the Mayan civilization was declining, Spanish conquistadors and settlers moved into the region. They built haciendas (large plantations with estate houses) where they farmed and raised cattle, using the local Mayan people to work their land, often with low or no wages. By the eighteenth century, the region was filled with haciendas. Haciendas were essentially self-sufficient; in addition to the owner’s home (which often housed the estate’s administrative offices) and land for crops and animals, the hacienda included a factory with a distinctive tall chimney, warehouses, a chapel, school, hospital, company stores, and housing for workers. By the nineteenth century many of these haciendas had been converted to henequén cultivation operations. Henequén, a type of agave cactus, was well adapted to the lowlands and arid climate, native to the Yucatán Peninsula, and could be processed (shredded, combed, and dried) on-site. The fiber from the henequén plant was well suited to a variety of industrial uses, including grain sacks, ship cables, baling twine, and ropes, becoming an important export for the region. It was also woven into hammocks, curtains, carpets, utilitarian bags, and other products used by the workers

62

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

and their families. Between 1880 and 1915, henequén was at its height in demand and production, resulting in nearly 1,200 haciendas located within an 80-kilometer radius around the city of Mérida, capital of the state of Yucatán. During this time period henequén was known as “green gold,” and wealthy plantation owners built vast estates in the countryside as well as large mansions in Mérida, some of which can still be seen along one of the city’s major boulevards, Paseo de Montejo. With the invention and use of synthetic fibers and materials for many of the end-use products originally made with henequén, demand for henequén declined and many of the henequén haciendas were abandoned. The few that remained continued to produce and process henequén, mostly for export, but also for domestic industrial and home uses, including twine, hammocks, baskets, bags, and carpets.

Growing Up in Minnesota, USA Our story of Angela Damman Yucatán now moves to another place, Minnesota, USA, where Angela Damman grew up. Angela reflects on her upbringing, I’ve always been connected to the land. My dad was a farmer in Minnesota and Mom was a city girl turned farm wife. Dad had grown up in Germany where he studied agricultural engineering, but broke away from his very tight knit German family and married an American woman. Although this was against tradition, he set out to do what he wanted which was experimental farming. Dad was trying to do “closed loop farming” back then, now called “circular economy.” I didn’t realize what that meant or that it was different from any other agriculture until much later. They would bring school groups out to tour our farm. We had livestock and grains, growing corn, wheat, alfalfa and soybeans. It was a typical family farm in the 1970s and 80s in Minnesota, just outside Minneapolis. Angela continues, We had hogs. And Dad’s theory was that the hogs would be healthier and get sick less, if they weren’t on commercial feeds. Instead he bought them whey from the creameries and old bread from bakeries, old potato chips, foods that were outdated and considered waste. The hogs ate these foods and then turned some of its value back to the land in their manure, back onto the ground in a natural process. It was healthier for both the animals and the land. His principle was that nothing should ever be thrown away. The hog waste was composted and used on the fields. Pausing, she goes on,

ANGELA DAMMAN YUCATÁN

63

But farming is tough. It seems like it’s always hard to be profitable. And then in the 1980s, it became especially difficult. The market dropped and the price was so poor, everyone was stockpiling grains. With corn, it can get moldy and then you can’t feed it to the animals because it’s toxic. So, Dad started an ethanol plant on the farm. It was a small, one million gallon still. His thinking was that now we could find a market for the corn—make feed from the corn if it wasn’t moldy, and turn it into ethanol if it was. He could provide pure ethanol to the independent petroleum marketers to supplement what they had to buy from big oil. And that single ethanol effort by my Dad, eventually launched me into a whole new profession. Angela explains, Dad had this cyclical way of thinking: feed natural foods to the hogs, use their waste on the fields, utilize the crops for feed where you could, and take the damaged grains or waste (especially corn) and make fuel. The ethanol also had added benefits of improving the health of the planet. And Mom was always finding ways to help. She became a lobbyist! She took the message forward that, “If we can make more products from corn, then it would help the local economy.” She eventually worked in the state legislature and took this message to Washington D.C. She was a huge advocate for sustainability efforts – both of my parents were. And they influenced me.

Moving to Yucatán Fast forward to 2011, our story of Angela Damman Yucatán resumes when Angela and Scott Damman purchased one of the abandoned haciendas and moved to Yucatán. Angela and Scott were at a crossroads in their lives. With background in agriculture and sustainability as well as textiles and design, Angela had started her career in natural resources and the environment, conducting biomass assessments for a state agency, and then working for the US Department of Energy in biomass energy programs. Later she worked as a project and event manager as part of a family-owned environmental consulting company. The company offered services, resources, workshops, conferences, and project development for the international ethanol and biofuel industries. Scott had a career in the athletic and outdoor industry and in real estate. When Angela decided to leave the family business both she and Scott knew they needed a change in their lifestyle that would allow them to pursue their passions around the environment and sustainability while raising their two children. Moving to Yucatán was a well-thought-out and intentional decision. As Angela and Scott discussed their future, they knew they wanted to learn Spanish

64

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

and expose their children to other cultures. Angela used her international business and project management skills to conduct a market analysis of places where they might live. A long list of lifestyle considerations (including culture, education, and environment) of twenty-two Spanish-speaking countries were input into a matrix. This analysis revealed that Mérida, in the state of Yucatán, Mexico, was the location that best met their criteria. Angela admits, “This was very surprising to me, as I never thought I’d move to Mexico.” Angela continues, Scott and I essentially announced to our family that we would be moving, left the kids with my sister, and went to Mérida for a week. And we loved it right away. The people were so nice and on that same trip we found the property where we live. We were looking at real estate, starting at the center of town and then gradually moving further and further out. I really wanted to raise our kids in the countryside and we became fascinated with the old haciendas. We kept getting further out until we eventually found this place. We didn’t get onto the property that first drive but we could tell that even though it was in a wrecked condition, it was still magnificent. People talk of love at first sight and for me it was the Yucatán and this place (Figure 3.2).

Figure 3.2 Angela and Scott Damman’s hacienda outside Mérida, Yucatán. Photograph by Valentina Reyes, courtesy of Angela Damman.

ANGELA DAMMAN YUCATÁN

65

Angela reflects, A key consideration was that any place we found had to match with our finances. The second drive out, we got a tour of the property, but it was under contract for sale with someone else. That was difficult. Some months went by and I became really obsessed with this hacienda and building a life there. We both truly felt like this particular place was it for us. Eventually, the owner said they would look at our offer and accepted. Scott and Angela put their house up for sale in Colorado the summer of 2011 and within three weeks it sold. Almost immediately after they bought their property near Mérida, moved to Yucatán in September, and their kids were in school two days later. On one hand, they followed an analytical and practical process in moving to the Yucatán. On the other hand, they upended their family, courageously immersing themselves in a new culture, environment, and life. Soon they would turn their attention toward earning a living in this new environment, a journey of learning, exploration, revitalization, and purpose. They had just enough savings to make the hacienda livable and then stopped on further improvements in order to invest in a business venture that could provide a modest income for their family. Angela says that Scott thought they would “flip” the hacienda once they had improved it, as he had been doing with real estate properties in Colorado. But after a couple of months they knew they could not leave. Their once-abandoned hacienda was where they wanted to live. Angela says, “We really just needed to explore possibilities and so I gave myself six months to find a way to create income and another six months to be profitable. That was the goal anyway.” They considered several ideas around real estate, either Scott continuing his real estate activities, or making the hacienda a bed and breakfast inn or vacation rental. But as Angela puts it, “Henequén was actually staring us right in the face. We were surrounded by henequén fields and we owned an old henequén hacienda.” She remembered the traditional henequén bag she saw the old man was wearing, the utilitarian bag that reflected geography, history, and cultural traditions. She wanted to elevate the design in partnership with the community where she now lived, establishing a supply chain for products made from these native plants. Indeed, a business endeavor of making products from the native plants tapped into many of Angela and Scott’s passions and values: sustainable agriculture, cultural traditions, and creativity. During the first few months of moving to Mérida, Angela met other designers and artists who would serve as sounding boards, supporters, consultants for working with local artisans, interpreters, and sources of information for their initial supply chain. Angela notes, “It was a hands-on experience. The driving need through this learning and exploration period was ‘how do we make money with this?’” In the beginning, Angela and Scott were learning about the plants themselves, the processes of how to capture

66

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

the fiber from them, and the skills and people that were available to them. And Angela was experimenting with a variety of products focusing on two questions: (1) what could she make that would be suitable for a desired market and (2) was anyone else making similar products? She knew she needed a business plan, but it was such a new industry for her, making a business plan was difficult. As she began to put together a work plan and process, she focused on integrating critical elements: honoring the skills of the local artisans and creating an appropriate compensation structure for them. Revitalizing and eventually controlling the entirety of the supply chain for products made from native plants were also necessary for success. The local henequén industry, just like the hacienda they had purchased, had been abandoned. Angela and Scott would draw on their expertise and past experiences to move forward: sustainably cultivating the soil and plants, creating thoughtful and upscale product design, retaining value of the natural resources in the local area, contributing to economic development, and advancing the preservation of skills and culture.

Sustainable Agriculture: Cultivating and Processing the Fiber Taking a walk on the hacienda with Scott and Angela is a valuable step in learning about their supply chain. It begins with the plants. Historically, these haciendas had very large cultivated fields of fiber plants. But by the time Scott and Angela arrived in Yucatán, these types of plants were growing wherever they had survived. Thus, one of the first steps was to gradually nurture back cultivation of several fiber plants: henequén (agave fourcroydes), sansevieria (snake plant, Mother-in-Law’s Tongue), and agave sisalana (sisal), each producing fibers with distinct properties. Henequén is the most common of the plants in the area and on their hacienda. Its leaves produce a coarse fiber typically used for ropes, twine, hammocks, and utilitarian bags. Their hacienda also had sansevieria plants. Sansevieria was introduced to the Yucatán Peninsula from Africa. Its leaves produce a softer fiber than henequén allowing for a greater variety of end-use consumer products (Figure 3.3). The Mayan people used agave sisalana, which produces a softer fiber, for their textiles. When Angela learned about agave sisalana, she admits she became obsessed with pursuing these softer fibers. Although rarely seen today, decades ago a couple hectares of agave sisalana had been planted on their hacienda and a few of these plants still grew naturally in their forest. What a find! When Scott discovered the plants, he began cultivating them. Scott explained that new plants emerge from the roots of older plants. Once they grew to approximately 30 cm in height, the plants were transplanted into rows. Within two years leaves of the agave sisalana plants could be harvested

ANGELA DAMMAN YUCATÁN

67

Figure 3.3 Scott talks about the properties of the fibers produced from the sansevieria plant. Photo credit: The Green Maya Project, courtesy of Angela Damman.

for processing and production. This project has now resulted in the largest known supply of agave sisalana in Mexico (Figure 3.4). Scott explains that quality and fiber softness come from type of plant (sansevieria and agave sisalana) as well as length of the leaves, the longer leaves having the optimal quality for their uses. Therefore, the longer leaves are those that are harvested with two years between harvesting and they are very conscientious of not overharvesting the plants. To harvest the leaves, they are not cut but pulled loose from the plant by pulling at the tip or end of the leaf, leaving the roots in the ground to continue producing. If an extra leaf comes loose, it is usually not long enough to make fiber. These extra leaves are distributed over the ground where each will start a new plant. Scott emphasizes that these plants are very hardy and spread easily. Roots send out lots of other roots, each creating another plant, like all the agaves do. The leaves are harvested by hand and very efficient workers can harvest about 300 kilos per day. The worker puts a 1.5-meter rope on the ground, pulls the leaves from the plants and lays them on the rope, and eventually tying 150 to 200 leaves into a roll. They harvest leaves from their own hacienda, as well as nearby fields and from the uncultivated forest areas around them. Scott estimates that about 25 percent of the leaves used in their production come from their own plants; the rest are harvested from approximately thirty sites in their neighboring area.

68

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Figure 3.4  The agave sisalana plants are now cultivated on the hacienda property. Photo credit: The Green Maya Project, courtesy of Angela Damman.

One of the challenges they faced was how to have a year-round supply of leaves from these plants for making textile fiber. During the hot and dry months, the plants become very dry, resulting in low productivity of usable fibers. In the dry season, they may get up to 300 leaves per roll because the plants’ leaves get thinner due to lack of moisture. Eventually, they are too dry to use and even the color of the fiber changes to brown. Scott realized that he needed to create a year-round stock of usable fiber for ongoing production. Most of their plants are grown without irrigation and with no chemicals. However, if those areas had irrigation, rather than eight to nine months without rainfall and no irrigation, they would grow much faster. Therefore, they have irrigated some areas, which has allowed them to be highly productive during the dry season and create a year-round supply of leaves for fiber making.

Processing the Fiber: Revitalizing an Industry Once the leaves are harvested, the fiber is extracted and made suitable for spinning and weaving through a series of hand and mechanical processes including shredding, drying, combing, and dyeing.

ANGELA DAMMAN YUCATÁN

69

Shredding, Drying, Combing The fiber is freed from the leaves by machine decortication or shredding (using a decorticator or raspador), which crushes the leaves between rollers and scrapes the resulting pulp from the fiber (Figure 3.5). Water is used during the shredding process to facilitate the removal of the outside green layer to reveal the inside white fiber (Figure 3.6). The raw fibers are dried outdoors in the sun on drying racks (Figure 3.7). The plant residue (bagasse) left from the shredding process is spread back on the ground to nourish the soil.

Figure 3.5 A raspador or decorticator is used to scrape the sansevieria leaf to extract the fiber. Photograph by Pépe Molina, courtesy of Angela Damman.

Figures 3.6a and b The sansevieria leaf before and after it has been shredded. Photo credits: a: Pépe Molina, b: The Green Maya Project.

70

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Figure 3.7  Raw fibers are dried on racks. Photograph by Valentina Reyes, courtesy of Angela Damman.

Washing and combing the fiber is the next step and results in a much higher-quality fiber and textile material. Washing the fiber helps to break up the lignin that binds the fibers together and cleans the residue helping to make the combing easier. After they are set out to dry and whiten in the sun again, the fibers are hand combed. The combing of fibers remains a time-consuming hand process, taking an entire day to comb about three kilos of fiber using a primitive-looking combing tool (Figure 3.8). Fibers are combed on-site at their hacienda (Figure 3.9). However, all of the weavers and spinners also have combing tools and usually do their own combing and preparation of the fibers for the spinning and/or weaving processes (Figure 3.10).

Dyeing Fibers Some of the fibers are dyed for use in colored textile products (Figure 3.11). According to Angela, For most of the production work, we use commercial non-toxic dyes. We hand dye everything outside over open fires either here or at the homes of the artisans. We also use natural dyes; I love natural dyes. It adds

ANGELA DAMMAN YUCATÁN

71

Figure 3.8  Using this primitive tool, combing the fibers is a time-consuming hand process. Photograph by Pépe Molina, courtesy of Angela Damman.

Figure 3.9  After drying, fibers are combed by hand. Photograph by Pépe Molina, courtesy of Angela Damman.

72

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Figure 3.10  Artisans comb fibers prior to weaving. Photo by Pépe Molina, courtesy of Angela Damman.

Figure 3.11  Fibers are hand dyed using natural dyes over open fires. Photograph by Valentina Reyes, courtesy of Angela Damman.

ANGELA DAMMAN YUCATÁN

73

another layer of time to use them though, and also involves challenges in consistency of color. A lot of the dyes come from cuts of the tropical trees, so rainy season, dry season, and age of the trees can all have impacts on the resulting color. The colors are really beautiful, but from a production standpoint, it’s very difficult. For projects where I’m creating a fully organic textile, we only use the natural dyes. In the pueblos, there are no recycling programs like in other places, but they’re really good at using everything for something. Angela shows us a textile fabric that was dyed using oxidized tin cans resulting in a beautiful shade of gray. “And this dark brown textile is from a tropical tree bark and this color is from a combination of different tree barks. I just love the color tones, and if I could split myself into five different people, I could really work on this!” Following the dyeing process the fibers are dried on the same outside racks.

Revitalizing the Fiber Processing Industry Controlling the fiber processing stage on-site was how Angela and Scott launched the business onto an entirely new platform—one that truly embraced a circular economy. But it took time and a supply chain disruption to make it happen. At the same time that they were developing their own cultivated fields and harvesting leaves, Angela had been establishing relationships with weavers to make textile fabric with henequén fibers grown and processed by others. The process of the artisans to source quality fibers was time-consuming and involved another layer of transactions. She was also working with a cooperative of women who spun threads from sansevieria fiber. She says, In the early stages when I needed thread, I would go to the cooperative and give them a deposit. They would take that money and go to the family who made the fiber and return to pick it up when they were finished. They would also travel to buy the dyes, wood to heat the water, and anything else needed to make the threads. There was no public transportation so it would take all day. If it was raining, that would slow things down. Sometimes they would be very late on orders. Angela continues, But the greater problem was that there was only one family left who was making the sansevieria fiber. They were old and did not want to make it any more. They had 29 grandchildren. They felt they were not making any money anyway. This was because they never accounted for cost of living changes or adjusted their prices. One day they just quit. We tried

74

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

to convince them to continue, saying we’d pay whatever they needed. But they were not willing and completely stopped. I was three to four years into this and my supply chain was completely cut off. No one else would make the fiber. No one was willing to learn to run the machine to make the fiber. Weeks passed and it was awful. We had no money left and a used machine for processing the leaves cost 30,000 pesos plus an overhaul and a new motor. I still had a retirement account and we decided to borrow money from that and buy the machine. This goes back to cultural preservation. If we had not bought that machine, the whole supply chain and artisan craft process would be gone. Just like that. It became a responsibility. For me, I could go do business anywhere else. But for these people, there would be no way to make money, and we were part of this community now. That entire process, tradition, and skill would be gone. This step was not part of the business plan to begin with but it was so important; and it became part of the business plan by default, taking control of the supply chain. The old man of the family who had been making the fiber agreed to train Scott how to run the machine and we took it over. What had been a crisis now became a huge benefit because we controlled the supply chain. That became a key to success.

Weaving and Product Development: Advancing Cultural Traditions Following washing, drying, and dyeing, some fibers are hand spun into multi-ply threads/yarns for end uses such as hammocks, carpets, or other home decor items (Figure 3.12). Other fibers are woven directly into textile fabrics using a traditional backstrap loom (Figure 3.13). The warp fiber strands are wound around a warping frame that is tied around the back of the weaver and secured to a wall or tree to create the necessary tension on the warp. Weavers sit on short stools as they weave. The width of the fabric is the width of what the weaver can create in this position. Woven fabric can be cut and sewn to create enduse products such as bags, totes, pillows, and other fashion accessories. As with earlier stages of the supply chain, weaving and product development stages had also been abandoned and needed to be revitalized. As Angela notes, There was a henequén factory in Mérida, making nice threads and carpets but it had been shut down about six years ago. A new factory was built but it never opened. There were small haciendas around the state making fiber but most of them shipped it out. They made some threads and a few ropes and sold fiber to artisans to make handcrafts that were mostly sold at the local markets or to tourists. The rest of the plant fibers left the region for production to finished goods.

ANGELA DAMMAN YUCATÁN

75

Figure 3.12 a and b  Fibers are spun into multi-ply yarns and then woven into end uses such as hammocks. Photo credits: a: Pépe Molina, courtesy of Angela Damman. b: Leslie Burns.

76

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Figure 3.13  Doña Felipa weaves using a traditional backstrap loom. Photograph by Pepe Molina, courtesy of Angela Damman.

Product development was also at a standstill. Angela shares that at the time, The henequén fiber was only being used for traditional and very practical, low quality, and inexpensive goods. No innovation was evident or exploration about what to do with these fibers other than traditional utilitarian goods. At least not here. I thought, “what more can we do with this fiber?” I wanted to make textile fabrics. First, we needed to find someone who could weave, who had the traditional skills using a backstrap loom. One of our workers connected us with Doña Felipa, an elderly Mayan woman who lived in one of the pueblos near Mérida. She became my first artisan and still works with me. Doña Felipa started with weaving textile fabric, but when Angela received orders from a resort client for their boutique, they then began making bags. Soon the demand was greater than what could be supplied. Doña Felipa could only make enough textile fabric in a week for one bag. When Angela received an order for forty bags, she had to literally start knocking on doors trying to find artisans. Scott and I were going around to the pueblos trying to find weavers with no success, and then Doña Felipa introduced us to weavers in the pueblo where she grew up. That became our plan for how we were going to

ANGELA DAMMAN YUCATÁN

77

make enough textile fabric. But the weavers were old and had retired. At the time, I didn’t realize some of them had not been weaving for thirty years! This became the next challenge. I had to convince them to start weaving again. Angela realized the vulnerability of their entire textile culture and that it was on the brink of being lost. Angela and Scott admit that working through the quality control and production control processes has been one of their biggest challenges. As Angela explains, I was going from weaver to weaver, on the road all the time, and I would make this long drive and show up to get a piece of cloth that was made substandard to the quality I was seeking. Maybe to them it was like all the other cloth in their world. But for me it had to meet a certain standard. And we would lose weeks of time. On top of that, my Spanish was not very good. I would put things in writing to give them the key procedures and details. It was so clear! But still, I’d come back the next time and everything was the same. Then I realized they were illiterate! This was compounded by the fact that Spanish was their second language. They spoke Mayan1! Angela continues, “In a way it was comical. But by then, my vision was strong, and I knew we could make a beautiful product. But in a business, you also have to have consistency in both quality and product delivery to be successful.”

Facilitating Artisan Groups When they started working with artisans, they used a relatively informal organizational structure. Most artisans were independent and Angela worked with them on a one-on-one basis. As the number of artisans grew, Angela found she was traveling all the time, going from one artisan’s home to another, a process that was time-consuming and exhausting. In one case, however, she worked with a family network in a village whereby one woman distributed the raw material and the orders, collected the finished work, and gave payment to the artisans. She realized that this model would be more effective for other groups of artisans. She needed one person to oversee delivery of the same quality of textile or finished product for a group of artisans.

Mayan languages comprise over the thirty languages primarily spoken by indigenous people in four countries: Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras. The Yucatecan branch of the Mayan languages is spoken in the Mexican state of Yucatán and is one of the most common of the Mayan languages, with estimates that over 800,000 people speak the language.

1

78

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Angela admits, This model worked better in some places than in others. Trust is a key element, and for some, they had a hard time trusting; or they simply did not want their neighbor to be the “boss.” Choosing the right manager was very important. Everyone in the neighborhood must respect that manager, because they’re getting work from her and she’s distributing pay. It’s working now, because we have the right people as managers. Angela says it also helped that everybody had their specialized area. No two groups do the same thing; some focus on weaving fabric, others on creating hammocks, thus alleviating competition among the artisan groups in the pueblos. It took three or four years for the artisans in the pueblos to know they could really count on Angela and that she was committed to them and to their communities. Today, Angela works with as many as sixty artisans, the number varying depending on demand, the amount of work desired by the artisans, and the quality of work by the artisans. The organizational structure with the independent artisans and cooperatives continues to be fairly informal. As Scott explains, They are not “dedicated suppliers”; they can work with anyone else, but they see the benefit in working with us. We show up on a regular basis, deliver all of the materials to them, and then pick up and pay for the final work. From their perspective, it eases how they can generate an income. It is very time consuming to collect or buy all of the materials and then find a market for the finished work. The artisans work from home and make a living wage. Scott continues, “They live in these small pueblos and there’s no work; it’s very hard for them to make money. Working with us, they make substantially more than any other job, and they can work from home, close to their family. There are no long rides to the city to find work.” Their willingness and availability to work also help determine how much work they get. Angela adds, Consistency in income is very important from a sustainability perspective also. We try to set a regular schedule, typically every two weeks, that they finish work and get paid. That consistent rhythm to the schedule was important and it took three or four years to get the system working smoothly. We show up with raw material and money consistently, but it has to be a mutual exchange. That’s also a key in sustainability, that we be mutually beneficial. They get compensated better than everybody else because of the higher quality and consistency of finished product; they all get an equal chance and access to training. But to build a business they needed to understand that they are part of a team. We have been open

ANGELA DAMMAN YUCATÁN

79

about this with all of the artisans we work with. If they do not deliver then they do not get additional work. The reward for consistent highquality work is consistently more work.

A New Generation of Weavers Angela quickly learned that weaving was a disappearing art. She paid the artisans very well, many of them having worked full time for the past seven years. But they were all old and she worried about who would do this in the future. The young people did not want to learn to weave. She knew this was a problem both culturally and economically for the pueblos that have limited job opportunities. In addition, who would make their textiles long term? As Angela explains, she began investigating this problem by asking the young people, Why don’t you want to weave? How can we get you interested in weaving? It became an ethnographic study. Young people today have cell phones and it’s not cool to weave. I felt that if we brought this to them in a curriculum where we made weaving interesting and with great design, we could help them see that they could make a living and a career out of it, and we would inspire a new generation. Angela connected with Ashley Kubley, director of the Fashion Technology Center at the University of Cincinnati, who had been conducting research and trainings with artisans in Mexico. Their collaboration resulted in the Mayan Youth Artisanship Initiative (MYAI), which got a kick-start through a pilot initiative funded by an international research grant. The goal of the pilot initiative was to conduct research and inspire and support a new generation of artisans in Yucatán. The initiative created conditions and opportunities that encouraged young people to pursue learning the craft. Through hands-on learning, they built strong skills and gained confidence and awareness of emergent economic markets and job opportunities in craft and design. Angela explains, At the same time that we were struggling with the fact that there were no young people weaving, the older generation was afraid to teach them their craft because it might take their work. We had to talk with them about how important their tradition is, and that if they don’t pass this on, it would be lost forever. I would explain that you’re obligated to teach this, and it’s very honorable and important to teach your art to the next generation. We told them to think about if this tradition was gone. No more. One day Angela was talking with Doña Felipa, who had been the first weaver Angela had worked with to create textiles from henequén. Angela was explaining to Doña Felipa that she wanted to offer workshops to

80

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

MAYAN YOUTH ARTISANSHIP INITIATIVE

M

ayan Youth Artisan Initiative (MYAI) is an initiative to encourage and inspire youth in Yucatán, Mexico, to learn the ancient art of weaving henequén plant fibers on a backstrap loom. Weaving henequén plant fibers on a backstrap loom has been embedded in the cultural heritage of Yucatán for hundreds of years, but this important tradition is at risk of disappearing. This initiative supported technical skills exchange and inspired a new generation of Maya youth to learn the ancient skills of their ancestors. The MYAI program recruited twelve young Mayan women between the ages of 15 and 29 years, to participate in craft making collaborations with existing artisans (mentors). Mentors taught them the traditional methods of their heritage handicrafts, including fiber cultivation and processing, thread spinning, and weaving using plant fibers on a backstrap loom. Students and mentors also participated in a curriculum where participants were educated on textiles, textile art, textile design plus money management, self-esteem, and marketing. This curriculum included design and business management workshops, local field trips led by textile and design educators, and special subject instructors who encouraged them to explore new design methods.

train a new generation of young women to weave. Doña Felipa could not understand what Angela was trying to say; weaving had always been and would always be a part of her life. Angela continued to explain that if younger people did not learn to weave that the art and the craft would be lost forever. That, in fact, Doña Felipa’s generation of weavers might be the last. It finally connected. Doña Felipa realized what Angela was saying. Doña Felipa could not imagine that the art and craft of weaving might be lost forever. From that time, she knew she must continue to weave and that she must help teach her craft to a new generation. Because of her stature in the community, getting Doña Felipa on board was crucial for the success of the initiative; she became passionate about it and other artisans followed. As Angela continues, “Eventually all of the artisans I work with who weave were involved. We had a budget for eight students and five teachers. At the first meeting I thought only a few people might show up. We ended up with twelve students.” The students were given scholarships, looms, instruction in all steps in the making of textile fabric, and opportunities to participate in field trips (Figure 3.14). Angela says, We hope to better understand these generational views and the barriers that exist to the continuation of the craft within this community in the Yucatán. And we hope that the younger generation will see new value

ANGELA DAMMAN YUCATÁN

81

Figure 3.14  Through the MYAI initiative, a new generation of weavers are learning from their mentors. Photo by Valentina Reyes, courtesy of Angela Damman.

in weaving and embrace this craft skill as not only an important part of their cultural heritage, but an avenue for future opportunities to generate income for their family. Angela and Ashley believe that by incentivizing the learning of backstrap loom weaving craft among younger generations in rural Yucatán communities, endangered ancestral skills and traditions will continue. And further, that if young artisans are concurrently exposed to design, marketing, cultural, and entrepreneurship resources while they are learning these skills, they will develop a greater propensity to leverage their traditional handcraft skills in contemporary creative career pathways like fair trade artisanship, design, and entrepreneurship, and Figure 3.15 A new generation of weavers. will contribute to cultural craft Photo courtesy of NOVA BOSSA, LLC/ conservation as participants in the Angela Damman. craft economy (Figure 3.15).

82

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Markets and Retailing At the same time Angela and Scott were exploring cultivation and processing of fibers and connecting with artisans, Angela was continually thinking about new and unique markets for their products. As she notes, “Back to the pragmatic aspects of this work is that we have to make an income.” As she points out, I, nor anyone else, can make a living off of inexpensive utilitarian products that are sold direct to consumers by artisans. I did not desire or feel it was good business sense to be a middle man. One day I was visiting a pueblo where we were working with artisans and one of them walked out of the back yard with a handful of long strands of dyed black henequén fiber. Immediately I was struck with inspiration and the fact that it looked like my horse’s tail growing up! I had a flashback to my textile classes in design school and I was inspired to create a horsehair quality textile cloth. I went to work on that knowing it would be something different from anything I had ever seen; a plant-based sustainable textile that no one else was doing. Quality was key. We would make it as fine and strong as we could make it, with the goal of reaching completely new markets. It took me two years of development in trying to get the softest feel and highest quality textile possible. We worked to get it finer and finer, and then once we did, we had to get consistency. When a consistently high-quality dyed fabric was achieved, she started producing bags and small clutches (Figure 3.16). “Our first big customer was Coqui Coqui Residences & Spa, and it was an amazing opportunity.” Originally a perfumery, Coqui Coqui Residences & Spa operations expanded their operations to include luxury lodging, restaurants, spa offerings, and boutique retail (Figure 3.17). Through these operations they honor a variety of cultural arts (Coqui Coqui 2020).

Figure 3.16 Beautiful clutches made with dyed fibers and hand-woven textiles. Photo by Ric Kokotovich, courtesy of Angela Damman.

Coqui Coqui was introduced to me by my mentor before she moved to Peru after living in Mérida for many years. Coqui Coqui was one of her clients. She had been working directly with artisans in creating hand-made local arts and crafts that she sold in their boutique, primarily under the Coqui Coqui

ANGELA DAMMAN YUCATÁN

83

label. Before she moved, she was my consultant for two months. She taught me everything she learned working with Figure 3.17 Coqui Coqui perfumes convey the lifestyles artisans in Yucatán. and spirituality of the Yucatán. Image courtesy of Coqui She wanted to ensure Coqui. that the artisans she had worked with would continue to receive work, either through me or directly with the clients she established, including Coqui Coqui. When Coqui Coqui sought to fulfill orders with artisans, they found it became a substantial time effort to go out to the villages and oversee the creation and production processes. That is when they called me. As they started working together, Angela notes, They saw I could deliver, using local artisans and managing the process, bringing them a high-quality product. I was already working with artisans who wove henequén fiber on a backstrap loom, plus artisans that my mentor had been working with who spun sansevieria thread. The first time I met with the owner, I walked in with my woven henequén prototype clutch made with beautiful dyed black fiber and they just loved it. That got me started and they became a huge client for me. I was not only making their designs (private label merchandise) but I was able to introduce my own line of products to them. When the business was forming, I started with mostly handbags and some lighting; but I didn’t want to define myself with a particular item. I wasn’t sure yet what I would focus on; would it be handbags or lighting, or home décor? I wanted to remain flexible, yet knew that to be a successful business I would need to have a focus. I also started with direct and retail sales only, working by myself. Eventually, you just get spread too thin, and product quality and service, which are so important, suffer. I switched to wholesale and changed all my pricing. Now these wholesale partners are my advocates and salespeople. In a small business, you can’t fill all those roles or afford to hire them. Plus, people didn’t even know what the fiber was!” Angela talks about marketing, When you add retail partners, they have to really understand the product. It’s important to know that they will be able to represent it. Part of that is knowing what other lines they are carrying, and that our product fits there. And, I also wanted to do more special product and less private label. But when people don’t understand henequén, what it is and the

84

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

processes it takes, they can’t sell it as effectively. I had no money for a marketing person or website, because at this point, I had no money left. We had cashed out everything we had, and borrowed all we could. There was no more money. This whole process took so long, and I felt like an important education piece needed to happen. I decided to do something completely radical. I made a book for my retail clients to understand the story of henequén and sansevieria, why it takes so long to make the textiles, threads, and final products, and to explain the costs. The book itself was beautiful and ended up being an extremely useful marketing tool for my retail customers to use to educate their customers. I mean a clutch is a clutch, right? Different color, a bit different design. But if they don’t understand the story of the materials and handcraft that went into, they can’t buy into it. I wanted them to know the story of this product. The book boosted the sales for my retail clients almost immediately. The first printing was a short run of 10 copies. It was the best thing I could have done. Collaborations with other designers (in particular, Katrin Schikora and George Samuelson) of the Takto Design Group (2020) were also important for Angela in leveraging resources to explore markets for authentic art pieces. One of these opportunities was to sell online in the United States. Angela thought the United States would be an important market for her product and found a good lead in the United States through an online design ecommerce site. She invested US$10,000 to ship product there but nothing sold. Not one item. It just wasn’t working. Now, just in the last two years, even in the last year, I am getting new clients in the United States. And I limit how many clients I work with. But most of my new clients are now outside of Mexico. The movement we’re seeing is for a more sustainable and more natural aesthetic; and they’re looking for the type of product we have. I’d been reading reports for several years, hoping that this would happen, and it has. Timing of this trend has been key to thrust the business into the next level of growth. Today, my sales are through a network of about fifteen retail partners. My ethic is to have fewer clients and grow with them, rather than too many retail clients and risk not being able to fulfill their orders. The retailers want to feel like they have some kind of exclusivity, and so I keep my client base small. I think some small companies get too many retailers and they dilute their market. As an example, in Mexico City I only have three clients. I try to sell different lines to each of them. Sometimes there’s a crossover, but I communicate this with them should this happen. I think this really helps with customer service and loyalty, because they feel they have something unique.

ANGELA DAMMAN YUCATÁN

85

Product development continues to expand and evolve (Figure 3.18). While visiting their hacienda, Angela takes us into a storage area where we are able to see batches of clean combed fiber waiting to go to the weavers and spinners. We also see commissioned work and prototypes of new designs. These elevated designs were absolutely stunning, especially when viewed in the context of their heritage hacienda amid the rows of plants, open fires boiling pots of dyed fiber, and tools and racks that shred, comb, and dry the fibers. The comparison was almost shocking that the same fibers, tools, and skills that have made utilitarian items for hundreds of years have made these amazingly sophisticated and elegant designs. What a powerful example of how traditional materials can be transformed and traditional industries revitalized. Angela says, “People are not even sure what Figure 3.18  Angela Damman Yucatán unique they’re looking at, because they’re hand-made products include home fashions. Photo by Ric Kokotovich, courtesy of Angela not used to seeing the fibers used Damman. in this way.” In the future, Angela says she’d like to simplify and streamline her product line, and have fewer SKUs. She would also like to do more conceptual work. Angela explains, “It calls attention to these unique materials, the ancient artisan handcraft and the rich cultural heritage of Yucatán. My work is a canvas for learning and experimentation” (Figure 3.19). For Angela, social, cultural, economic, and environmental sustainability and success are tied together. She is very proud of the fact that all the resources are utilized—from design elements, to processes, and by-products from production processes, every bit of the fiber/textile is used. Angela continues, In six years, for example, we have handspun two million meters of thread. We calculate every single meter for every product and batch dye based on orders. We essentially have zero waste. In six years, our entire waste would equate to one small plastic tote. With the leftover henequén textile, we make pencil bags that donate to schoolchildren in the rural communities. For both sustainability and success, having accurate calculations for

86

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

everything needed for an order with no waste of materials generated, is really important. And everything is designed to make sure there is minimal if any waste. We weave a specific width of textile for each product. Every part of the plant is used also; there’s no by product. We follow a full circle process, Figure 3.19 Elevated designs such as this not just in sourcing, stunning hammock create new images and but in process. There’s demand for henequén. Photograph by Namuh another aspect I’ve Studio, courtesy of Angela Damman. thought about a lot, and if you put that into the equation of our product sustainability, it would be huge. And that is the lifestyle footprint of the Mayan people and of our plant-based textile. The carbon sink impacts are not even being considered in this discussion, although these types of plants are considered some of the richest oxygen producing plants on the planet.

Cultural Sustainability: Identity, Community, and Purpose Angela reflects, When I arrived, I didn’t know anything. You hear about the Mayan culture, but we really didn’t know anything except from literature. Then after spending time with the people and living here, seeing what their life is like, and becoming part of the community, everything changes. You come to know it differently, more intimately, and this connected for me with how I do business. While their craft is weaving henequén plant fibers on a backstrap loom, their community culture is to work from home while tending to the family. That’s hundreds of years of tradition and it was really important to their civilization. But times have changed. People don’t value it anymore; maybe because they don’t understand it, or the quality isn’t as good as it used to be. People don’t want to pay for it and don’t see the value of the work. Class levels still exist here in the Yucatán, taking advantage of people in the poorer class. In fact, in one of the pueblos I work with, “coyotes” come in and buy everything they can at the absolute cheapest price. I’m sure they plan for a particular time, when

ANGELA DAMMAN YUCATÁN

87

they know the artisans need money. This is still happening. I also don’t like what I’ve seen with people commoditizing the artisans. They say, “Make this for me at the best possible price,” and then they leave without any concern about the people’s lives or what it took to make those items. Having worked in sustainability and business for years, I was getting to know the culture and history of this area, and their economic situation. That’s because I believe that culture is as important as the economics. For example, the artisans had no concept of adjusting for inflation, and always charged just enough to get by. I know what their cost of living is since we live closely with our pueblo. But they do not make it a practice to adjust their prices for inflation, cost of goods, or growing family. Some of the artisans I worked with hadn´t increased their prices for 8–10 years. I can’t allow them do business like that. The prices of Angela’s products reflect the costs of design and production, including adjustments for inflation as well as improvements to the quality of materials used in each product. “People were initially surprised by the prices, but you have to pay people a fair wage. You have to account for the ‘true cost.’” As the business person, it was her responsibility to find a way to educate people to justify those prices. In addition, combining economic development and advancing cultural traditions became her calling. She saw few taking care of the people. “The government does basic things for them. And if their tradition is lost, not only do they lose an opportunity for revitalizing economic development in their villages, but they will lose those centuries’ old traditions that are key to their identity and culture. It becomes more about that than making money, even though the economics are still important.” Angela is deeply committed to the sustainable and cultural aspects of her work in Yucatán. She says, For years we’ve been working on this aspect, talking about art, culture and honor. And as I’ve continued to research henequén and sansevieria textiles, I find they are not registered anywhere. They are not to be found in one single major art museum archive or library anywhere. I visited the archives of Antonio Ratti Textile Center and Reference Library at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City with 35,000 pieces of textile art, and there was not one piece of henequén, sisalana or sansevieria textile (other than threads of sisal woven as an accent into a couple of the textiles). Nothing. These are plant based sustainable textiles that are hundreds of years old, and not registered anywhere. And I believe that if these textiles were more commercialized, and I don’t mean industrialized, they could completely reform the economy here in the Yucatan and put a lot of people to work. There are very few truly sustainable textiles that exist. When asked to talk about keys to success Angela immediately responds,

88

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Perseverance. You can’t quit. You have to constantly solve problems, but you can’t give up. Another challenge is cash flow, especially during periods of growth; they are real. But I really love what I do, and I believe in these textiles and what is becoming of them. You have to have faith, and I believe this can be a real cutting-edge textile in the future. Angela and Scott have worked literally from the ground up, to bring a sustainable business model forward. Beginning with soil and plant health and assuring quality processing of plant fibers. Then offering elevated design and production quality by partnering with local artisans while training and inspiring a new generation of weavers, critical to the preservation of important and timeless traditions of the Mayan culture. The artistic elements Angela brings to their weaving elevate both its appeal to a new generation and its marketability. Through contemporizing the application of cultural traditions, they have revitalized local industry and infused the families and pueblos of the Yucatán Pennisula with improved economic vitality. As to the future, Angela says, I think demand will come. By showing that we can make higher market products and successfully sell them is helpful. We needed to demonstrate it could be done. Already others are coming in who want to do the same thing and that will increase the demand for materials. The demand for henequén and sansevieria fibers in general is growing because people are looking for natural fibers, and we’re seeing an increase in government support for people to grow henequén because of this. We want to avoid mono crop cultures like in the peak era and encourage multiple species to be cultivated. This is similar to the ethanol industry, where they monocultured the corn crop. We want to avoid that with the revival of henequén and other fibers. Maybe what we’ve done with the finer species of plant fibers and high-end product will not become a large industry, but its significance is being recognized in the work with the young weaver workshops, and the preservation of skills that are a critical part of the Mayan culture. The ethos of Angela Damman Yucatán is in sharp contrast to a history of colonialism, where whole nations of people are enslaved by other people, taking advantage of their skills and labor, and using those for their own profits. Instead, Angela and Scott honor people, processes, the planet, and the timeless skills critical to a culture (Figure 3.20). It was no accident where their journey has taken them, returning to Angela’s roots in agriculture, at the origin of product, where the value story begins. From cultural traditions to luxury products, Angela’s designs bring far more than beauty and function. They are honoring the people and place throughout the entire process, inspiring a new generation of Mayan artisans, and advancing cultural traditions.

ANGELA DAMMAN YUCATÁN

89

Figure 3.20  Scott and Angela Damman with henequén fibers. Photograph courtesy Angela Damman.

References and Resources Angela Damman (2019). Video: Angela Damman; Handmade with Natural Fibers. https://vimeo.com/338725403. Accessed April 21, 2020. Angela Damman Yucatán (2020). Home. http://angeladamman.com/. Accessed April 21, 2020. Angela Damman Yucatán (2020). Sustainable Textiles. http://angeladamman.com/ sustainable-textiles/. Accessed April 21, 2020. Coqui Coqui (2020). Coqui Coqui Merida. http://www.coquicoqui.com. Accessed April 21, 2020. Damman, Angela (2019, November 26). Personal Interview. Damman, Scott (2019, November 26). Personal Interview. Kendrick, Teresa (2004, February 15). Did You Know—Henequen—Sisal. Mexconnect. https://www.mexconnect.com/articles/1912-did-you-knowhenequen-sisal. Accessed April 15, 2020. Kubley, Ashley (2019, December 13). Personal Interview. Takto® Design Group (2020). Home. https://www.takto.mx/home. Accessed June 22, 2020. United States Department of Agriculture (2020). Agave Fourcroydes. https://plants. usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=AGFO2. Accessed April 21, 2020. United States Department of Agriculture (2020). Agave Sisalana. https://plants. usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=AGSI2. Accessed April 21, 2020.

4 Tonlé: Every Thread Counts

They who fail to honor the river shall not gain the life from it.

The Mekong and Tonlé Sap Rivers Fashion brand Tonlé, co-created by Rachel Faller, represents far more than beautiful, sustainable, and ethical clothing and accessories. The word tonlé means “large river” in the Cambodian language, and it is no accident that Rachel chose this name for her brand. The birthplace of Tonlé is Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where the Mekong and Tonlé Sap rivers meet (Figure 4.1). These rivers play an essential role in the Cambodian economy and the livelihoods and culture of the people who live there. The Tonlé Sap river and lake create the Mekong’s largest natural reservoir, a remarkable and unique ecosystem with its reversible flow. Tonlé, the brand, has become a metaphor for the river itself. Tonlé, the river, is of major economic and ecological importance, represents social justice, and is the source of life for the people, community, and the culture. The river grounds their place. Similarly, Tonlé, the fashion brand, reaches into the deep textile history of Cambodia, going upstream in a fast-paced fashion world steeped in negative environmental and social impacts, and has evolved into a zero-waste, ethical fashion brand with a mission “to reduce waste generated by larger factories and change the way business is done in the fashion industry” (Tonlé 2020). In the process, Tonlé has elevated the value and place of women who make the clothing and is changing their lives forever. Just as the river’s importance is grounded by place, the importance of the community of women who create and make Tonlé products is grounded by the brand.

TONLÉ

91

Figure 4.1 The Tonlé Sap River in the city of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Photo credit: URF/Getty Images.

THE MEKONG AND TONLÉ SAP RIVERS

T

he Mekong River is one of the most important rivers in Asia, crossing through six countries: China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Its diverse and unique eco-system is a vital aspect to the livelihoods of the communities along its banks as a source for water and transportation and through tourism associated with the river. The Mekong enters Cambodia in the northeastern part of the country, flowing southwest until meeting with the Tonlé Sap River in Phnom Penh. It then separates again and flows south to Vietnam. This river system is unique in that during the rainy season, the volume of water pushes the flow north from the Tonlé Sap, reversing the seasonal flow and flooding the Tonlé Sap Lake and surrounding areas. This natural flooding supports an abundance of wildlife and agriculture. The future of the Mekong River is at odds with its ecological importance and as the lifeblood for those who live in its surrounding communities. Hydroelectric dams, overfishing, wildlife poaching, and deforestation are threatening the long-term vitality of the fragile ecosystems. Many groups and individuals are fighting for the river’s restoration and survival (Seimreap.net 2017).

92

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

For Rachel, the work of Tonlé goes deeper than the mission statement on her website. Rachel is leading her own revolution in the face of a tidal wave of textile waste, minimized workers who are primarily women, and a devalued industry that has little regard for textile skills and traditions. Indeed, there is a spark, a spirit alive in Rachel, that as soon as you begin a conversation with her, you know will burn forever. She has spent her life living the mission and is at the leading edge of the zero-waste movement in textiles, forever changing the lives of the Cambodian women who work at Tonlé and their families.

Growing Up Rachel’s interest in textiles and fashion began at a young age. Growing up she had the great fortune to have a mother and two grandmothers who sewed and made clothes. Additionally, one of her grandmothers was a painter and artist. Her mother taught her to sew, but did not love sewing the way her grandmothers did. Rachel’s love for art, sewing and the textiles themselves, was inspired from these women. She says her maternal grandmother especially loved sewing, and making clothes for others was a way for her to send love out into the world. Rachel knew she wanted to be an artist, but early on she saw her art and her sewing as separate endeavors. That said, appreciating and transforming used textiles has been part of Rachel’s artistic endeavor since the time she learned to sew. In the third grade her first sewing project was making a Halloween costume out of used clothes. Little did she know this would foreshadow a lifelong passion and deep commitment to valuing, reusing, and repurposing fabrics. By the time she was in college, sewing and art had begun to be stitched together in her creative expression. Rachel grew up in Boston in a family that gave her a strong background in community service. Her parents took her and her brother to volunteer in soup kitchens, to participate in community clean-up projects, and on trips abroad where she was exposed to poverty. The seed and a strong motivation to do something to make the world better were planted in her mind. She had a strong sense of right and wrong, and what she did and did not want to contribute to that has stayed with her. By high school, she was active in the social justice movement, doing community art projects and volunteering in youth centers. At the same time, she was developing an art and fiber background, and knew she was interested in fashion. She liked making clothes, but was already becoming aware of the negative environmental and social impacts of the fashion industry. For Rachel, creating a more ethical and sustainable fashion industry would become a moral issue. Rachel attended the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, where she studied textiles and fine arts. Discussions in college about

TONLÉ

93

sweatshops and poor labor conditions in apparel factories were prevalent, but Rachel had not yet determined what or how she could make changes to the industry. Her response was to immerse herself in the alternative punk rock culture, making clothes and selling them to this specific population. She was working from her gut reaction to the darker reality of the textile and apparel industry, but utilizing what was available, which meant standard fabrics from local and national chain fabric stores. Continuing the path of her first sewing efforts, she also refashioned used clothes, and Rachel says at that point, “I knew I couldn’t be in the regular fashion industry; an industry based on mass consumption.” From this beginning, Rachel would approach her business future from a philosophical position of concern for the environment, respect for textile traditions, and a deep caring for people and community. These values, rather than profits, would be the foundation for her work. When Rachel began her studies in art, textiles as an art medium were dismissed as not being a legitimate fine art and therefore, unimportant; and so, in large part, were the women creating art with textiles. This has been the case across time and culture, the women artisans and makers of everyday things we use, those core items in textiles and fashion, generally devalued and hidden. Rachel had a love of textiles and the craft of making instilled by her grandmothers. Therefore, what Rachel experienced in her art program was a stark contrast to Rachel’s grounding in her family culture and its craft traditions. To Rachel, both the art and craft of textiles were meant to be valued. As Rachel explains, “Textiles are an art form in every culture. Subconsciously, they join all of us together. They are mostly made by women, passing on traditional skills and often intricate and tedious work, down through the generations. Historically, textiles had a huge value. But since the industrial revolution, we don’t have the same appreciation or respect for their value.” Indeed, the cost of textiles and clothing goes beyond their intrinsic value. “We all feel an energy from the clothes we wear, even if not consciously aware of it. And especially when exploitation is involved. We have to ‘block out’ the energy of what we’re wearing, and this speaks to our humanity,” says Rachel. “It’s community and history throughout the world. It’s tradition even if we don’t acknowledge it. How do we tap into this more?” In college, Rachel began experimenting with textiles as an art medium, wanting to bring the tradition of the art and craft of textiles to life. “I started hosting knitting workshops around the city, and I made a knitted hemp rope that bridged parts of the community. The concept of knitting is imbued with so much meaning. I wanted to literally knit a bridge between these communities.” Rachel also began working with young people in community centers, teaching them to knit. They were identified as troubled youth from difficult backgrounds, coming from marginalized communities near where she went to college. This was a continuation of the family

94

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Figure 4.2 Traditional weaving in rural Cambodia. Photo credit Owen Franken/ Getty Images.

TONLÉ

95

volunteerism and giving back she experienced growing up. “Knitting is therapeutic and at the same time, art,” says Rachel. “Art programs were diminishing in the schools, and this helped fill the gap, allowing kids to communicate their experience and expression. They knitted gifts for their family members and put together a fashion show, and it was very powerful for them. Even though they couldn’t always express what this did for them, you could see it.” While Rachel was honing her skills in college around textile art, gaining knowledge about dyeing and printing making, metaphorical conversations were happening around the processes used in creating textiles. She credits her professors for fostering the conversations. “I’m making the yarn and the felt, but so much more is there, in the layers and the processes,” says Rachel. She and her classmates in fashion and design were aware of issues in the industry, but she says conversations and formal curriculum around sustainability and worker exploitation were at their infancy. She credits Professor Piper Shepard with bringing attention and fostering conversations around the “work” it takes to create textile pieces. Labor, time, femininity and value were all in the conversation, along with sexism and exploitation of women. “Textile fine art is valued much lower even today, than painting,” shares Rachel, “and there is something deeply sexist about that. The textiles can take so much more effort and time to make, yet that effort does not translate to importance and economic value.”

The Dichotomy of Cambodian Textiles In 2007, Rachel made her first trip to Cambodia with a friend whose family had a nonprofit medical clinic there and had been there many times. Her friend wanted to explore opportunities around fair trade apparel in Cambodia. Rachel only knew fair trade with respect to food, and had not yet associated the concept with fashion. We went to Cambodia over the summer, and my mind was blown open. We visited artisan groups where traditional craft was being done, textiles being made out of necessity, to use and wear every day. It was still the culture and everyday life. We don’t see that in the U.S. Most weavers here are weaving art pieces in order to get paid fairly for their weaving. No craftsmen are making commercial textiles here; you have to make art and hang it on the wall (Figure 4.2). As Rachel reflected, “All of a sudden, it just hit me. Artisans are still making a living utilizing traditional craft skills and techniques, but they weren’t making for a wider global audience, and mostly, they were making in their homes.” At the same time, Cambodia has a thriving textile manufacturing industry where factories are producing for ready-to-wear

96

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

fashion brands and global distribution. Rachel saw the leftover materials and quality control failures of these factories being sold in stalls at the local markets. Rachel recognized this dichotomy of traditional handcrafts juxtaposed with factory production. She saw firsthand the amazing traditional handcraft skills and potential livelihood of their culture, retained, yet not rewarded for its value or presented to a larger audience. And she saw the massive waste problems of ready-to-wear factories. This was a powerful and eye-opening experience that sparked her desire to help elevate cultural craft traditions increasing the value and importance of the skills and the people who retained them, making them available to a broader audience, by creating quality clothing with high design standards and reasonable price points. Rachel collected samples, asked questions, observed inequality and poverty, and returned home equally motivated and inspired, with one year of school remaining. It would be her thesis year, and she had a powerful desire to build the Cambodian experience into her senior project. Specifically, Rachel wanted to bring awareness to the Cambodian genocide experience through a textile project. In their attempt to control the Cambodian people and build their version of utopia, the Khmer Rouge regime had tried to destroy the culture of Cambodia. In order to equalize everyone, the people could only wear black. And yet, their culture was very colorful, bold, and beautiful, exemplified in their traditional textiles. In spite of the genocide, somehow, these textiles continued to survive. Rachel explains, “I was interested in exploring how the genocide and socialism and communism had tried to erase their textile traditions, and now those same textile traditions are helping heal the culture from that genocide. And I wanted to go there and actually learn those traditional techniques.” The Fulbright U.S. Student Program, which offers research and study opportunities in over 100 countries, was promoted at Rachel’s college and she received an award to conduct research in Cambodia and make her vision possible. Through the Fulbright award, Rachel’s second trip to Cambodia lasted for ten months. She continued with her focus on textile artisan groups, immersing herself in the community and learning traditional textile arts and techniques. As Rachel recalled with laughter, the artisans with whom she worked were insistent she learn the “proper way” before she was allowed to “get creative.” Her focus was to learn, and Rachel says, “With the immersion, you begin to understand more. Along with the muscle memory, you get the history memory. They were creating beauty out of pain, and it was a parallel for me, with my work with kids in Baltimore and the knitting projects. Again, I saw the healing that happens even when it may not be verbally articulated.” In return for what Rachel was learning from the artisans, she offered consulting on design and patternmaking, as well as working with counselors to assist these women in starting their own business. As she explained,

TONLÉ

97

THE KHMER ROUGE

T

he Khmer Rouge regime (followers of the Communist Party of Kampuchea), under the leadership of Pol Pot, ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. Pol Pot attempted to transform Cambodia, known as Democratic Kampuchea during his rule, to a classless agrarian society, isolating the country and its people from outside influences and abolishing money, technology, private property, and religion. The brutality of the regime cannot be overstated. During this time, between 1.7 and 3 million Cambodian lives (approximately 20 percent of the Cambodian population) were lost through execution, starvation, disease, and exhaustion caused by forced work. Those who were considered educated or intellects (e.g., doctors, lawyers, journalists, students) were tortured and executed. Millions more were torn from their homes and families, often never to be seen again. The Khmer Rouge government was overthrown in 1979 by Vietnamese troops. It was not until Cambodia reopened as an international community did the scope of the horrors of the regime become fully apparent. Considered one of the worst mass killings of the twentieth century, the Cambodian genocide had long-term effects on the country. Decades later, Cambodia’s politics and attitudes continue to be influenced by both the trauma and the liberation (BBC News 2018; Quackenbush 2019).

My intent became to create a business that these artisan groups could run. I started with five women. My friend back in the U.S. was still toying with the idea of importing fair trade product to the U.S. market. The plan was that I would get the business going in Cambodia supporting these artisans, and then she could buy the products. But in 10 months, could I really train these women and get every aspect up to speed, and then hand over the business to them? And there was a disconnect too, in that my friend thought we would immediately have product that she could take to Anthropologie! We weren’t quite at that level of product yet! This plan didn’t really pan out, and it was no one’s fault. As the end of the Fulbright grant drew near, Rachel worried about next steps. The women she had been working with had come so far. With Rachel’s assistance and project management skills, they had learned sewing, computer, and marketing skills as well as taking language classes. Rachel had observed a very entrepreneurial spirit in Cambodia, but in spite of this, big questions remained about the success of a new business endeavor managed by these women: what market would they target, what products would they make, and where would they sell the finished products? Rachel

98

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

wondered if the women were ready to run a business on their own, and, more importantly, if they even wanted to? When asked, they answered “no.” They wanted to earn a salary and take care of their families. It became clear that they wanted Rachel to stay and run their business.

A Reluctant Businesswoman Rachel was a reluctant businesswoman. She admits she did not have the capacity to start an international export business. At the same time, she had been frustrated by the limited choices for her in acquiring fashionable apparel in Cambodia. Therefore, with no formal business plan but with a small amount of funding from family and a passion toward continuing to assist the women with whom she had been working, Rachel launched her business. “I decided to try opening a boutique to sell the products our women were making. This would be clothing I would want to wear. I would design and we would make them, and we would sell to locals. It was 2009, and our customers would be the young and trendy and also the tourists.” Social and environmental sustainability were core to the business from the beginning. Rachel wanted to work only with local artisans for the sewing, screen printing, crocheting, and production aspects. She researched locally sourced and environmentally responsible fabrics, but the only fabrics available locally were silks, not the best materials for the casual ready-towear she wanted to produce. Coming from a history of do-it-yourself and upcycling, she knew she could design and upcycle secondhand clothing and textiles. Cambodia has a huge market for secondhand clothes and textiles; much of it donated from abroad. She was able to sell a variety of vintage and upcycled clothing, bags, and other accessories. She felt good about not producing new materials. “We were all seeing the pollution, especially around the garment industry,” she says. In the markets, she found stalls packed with secondhand textiles, pre-consumer textile waste (e.g., fabric left over from the cutting process), and finished apparel that did not meet quality standards (Figure 4.3). She started asking questions about these textiles and discovered that secondhand textiles were perceived to have very little value. She could buy vintage dresses for US$0.25 each and resell them in her boutique with a substantial markup. At the beginning Rachel committed to the business for just one year. During this time two equally important strands to the business were intertwined: (1) the use of environmentally sustainable materials and (2) the quality of life for the women doing the work. Her best efforts at the time for environmentally sustainable materials were pre-consumer fabric remnants from the factories and secondhand textiles. Early on, the artisans were working from their homes as independent contractors. Rachel says, “I thought that was good for them, making it easier to take care of their families, but later learned that the social aspects of working together was

TONLÉ

99

Figure 4.3 Textile stall in the Central Market (PSar Thmei) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Photo credit: Photo Credit: Blaine Harrington III/Getty Images.

really important. They wanted a work place and to have separation between their work and home. People want ‘community,’ and we couldn’t build that as easily when they worked separately.” Therefore, a sewing workshop was created in the back of the boutique in Phnom Penh. By the end of 2009, Rachel had employed eight women in this workshop that included sewing machines and washing machines; dyeing and screenprinting processes were conducted outside in the alley. Rachel admits living very lean; she did not pay herself and kept the overhead low. She confesses that although it was a business, she often thought of it as a nonprofit. She gave the company the name KeoK’jay, which means “sky blue and grass green,” even then a tribute to a cleaner earth. Located in a bustling shopping district, people started buying her products and very quickly sales were covering costs. This success and growth resulted in the workshop relocating three times to larger facilities. One of the important lessons Rachel learned was the need for a crisis fund. She notes that it seemed like every year there was some type of crisis. One year the government closed the street on which the boutique was located for three months allowing no one to go down that street; thus, no customers for three months. Another year, when she had opened a second store, the city was flooded for an entire month. Besides the flood damage to the store, they had only US$300 in sales for the entire month, which was

100

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

their normal sales per day. Just after the devastating Rana Plaza garment factory collapse in Bangladesh in 2013, Rachel encountered a structural problem with their building. My workshop was located in a really old building on a historic cultural street, where a construction project began, and it disrupted our foundation. One day a huge crack appeared in the ceiling, and we had to close the store and workshop. I called in the best structural engineers possible, and they told me the main support beam was rusted out putting our building at risk to collapse. We had to move out immediately. In addition to the disruption and cost, I couldn’t get my deposit back, but we had no choice. It was very stressful. In 2018, the electrical power went out for three months, and she used this crisis as the inspiration to convert to solar power, which they were able to install for USD$15,000. Throughout this time, Rachel continued to ask herself, how can this business be self-sustaining and continue the good work that was being done? She was in desperate need to return to the United States to gain back some resemblance of life balance, including much-needed time for personal renewal, rest, and healthful exercise. To that end, in 2013 she brought in business partners. Unfortunately, unresolvable challenges emerged very quickly and the partnership lasted only about six months. Although Rachel was now on her own again to run the business, she was able to retain her entire production team and retail outlets.

Transition and Rebranding Although it was a difficult transition, Rachel took all the work that had been done and put it into something new and fresh. The time was right to rebrand the company as Tonlé, the river next to where they lived and created their clothing. Tonlé’s mission remained the same as before the rebranding and Rachel was inspired more than ever by her core beliefs, moving forward with even greater clarity, passion, and purpose. On reflection, Rachel learned that even though she approached her business from a philosophical position of deep caring rather than from a profit motivation, she knew the business must be economically, socially, and culturally sustainable for it to do the most good. She revised the clothing styles to increase sales, but the heart and soul of the brand were the people behind it and her commitment to the most environmentally sustainable materials and processes possible. With the launch of Tonlé, addressing textile waste became a more targeted focus. Rachel prioritized the utilization of pre-consumer waste and their own waste textiles. “If we could just waste a bit less, it touches on lots

TONLÉ

101

of the issues from pollution to social issues,” says Rachel. Her original efforts had begun selling vintage apparel and upcycling post-consumer textiles for the young, trendy, and tourist markets in Cambodia. She now turned to pre-consumer textile waste, adding cut wastes (leftover fabric from the cutting processes at apparel factories), fabric and partially finished garments that did not pass quality control standards, and additional overstock and remnant materials that were large enough to create multiple pieces of a particular style (Figure 4.4). Rachel started this new material sourcing strategy by sending one of the Cambodian women to buy materials from the market stalls. Rachel soon realized that the Cambodian woman did not understand the wants and aesthetics of the non-traditional Cambodian Figure 4.4  Tonlé products utilize cut market. Rachel resumed material waste, quality control failures, and overstock selection herself. But, over time, materials. Image courtesy of Tonlé. she invested in training others on material selection, developing a swatch book with specifics on selecting acceptable materials. This training resulted in a successful transition of transferring her knowledge and skills to those in her Cambodian team, a process that continued with other skills and knowledge.

Zero-waste Model Zero-waste is a “design process that utilizes as much of the fabric as possible; thus, reducing textile waste. Accomplished by using all scraps and remnants from the cutting or production process and/or creating patterns for a design that create a marker (pattern layout) that looks like a large jigsaw puzzle and results in 100% fabric utilization” (Rissanen and McQuillan, 2018; Burns 2019, p. 216). Tonlé’s zero-waste design model includes making clothing and accessories from factory remnant material and using zero-waste patternmaking techniques whereby Tonlé’s patternmakers can integrate cut waste material into the design as part of the artisan workshop setting. This technique is almost impossible within a traditional factory

102

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

setting, where designers and patternmakers generally work separately and are required to work quickly with little regard to waste material generated. Although the overall goal for companies using zero-waste strategies is to have no waste at the end of the design and production processes, very few companies actually attain this goal. Tonlé’s zero-waste design and production model was resulting in 2–3 percent waste material, which was excellent by industry standards (waste tolerance rates are generally between 10 and 15 percent). But Tonlé was not satisfied. They created a formula for making their own recycled paper, which combines tiny scraps of fabric, paper left from the office and patternmaking, and natural glue. This closed the loop in production and brought their waste down to zero. That leaves Tonlé with zero percent waste, out of materials that were considered waste to begin with. As Rachel says, “Waste isn’t waste until you waste it.” So, when you purchase a Tonlé product, check for tiny threads in the hangtag and know that it was put there with both you and the planet in mind. This was 2014, before zero-waste design was a trend in the fashion industry. With the assistance of an intern from the United States, Rachel decided to make a kick-starter video to launch in the United States about their low-waste efforts and the goal to get to zero-waste. Rachel says, “Waste wasn’t really being talked about and there was little research about it. I had observed factories that were actually burning their waste. It was being sent to brick factories to burn as a power source for the factories; and it was a very toxic process.” She knew that brands did not necessarily want to acknowledge this aspect of the production process, and factories did not volunteer information on the level of textile waste and how the waste was disposed. By utilizing textile waste generated by factories, Tonlé’s artisan workshop model has contributed to positive change in the way business is done in the fashion industry. Their use of scrap waste sourced from mass clothing manufacturers fashioned into handmade clothing and accessories utilizes every last thread, raising awareness of the possibilities and setting a standard for others to follow. The environmental sustainability ethic extends beyond zero-waste strategies. Tonlé’s packaging program includes shipping products in bags made from 100 percent recycled materials and hangtags made with recycled cardboard hand-printed with their logo. They do not ship products to wholesale clients in individual plastic bags, unless requested; instead opting to group sizes and colors together using recycled packaging materials. They also make tote bags from recycled materials for their market shopping trips and store fabric in reusable totes made from rice sacks. Tonlé also partners with suppliers to make custom notions in the most environmentally sustainable way available. For example, they work with a local handicraft organization to make belt buckles, pendants, and buttons hand-carved from reclaimed scraps of wood. They also partner with a ceramic workshop based in Siem Reap, Cambodia, which employs people with good wages and benefits to produce handmade buttons and beads from locally dug clay.

TONLÉ

103

If they cannot make them locally, they use garment factory cast-offs for zippers and notions as often as is possible, while still ensuring the quality and integrity of the garments.

The Artisan Workshop Model The two intertwined strands of the Tonlé mission remained: environmental sustainability and social sustainability. For Rachel, there are stories within the stories, not just behind every thread and fiber; but in every person who joins the Tonlé team. Through the years, from Rachel’s first trip to Cambodia to today, she has remained immersed in the culture, living, working, and leading the women forward in their work. Rachel has believed in the value of traditional handcraft skills, their critical role in the culture, and the women who retain the knowledge and skills and do the work. Rachel has been dedicated to elevating their work, making them visible, and lifting their quality of life. As evidence of this mission, people who work on a product are identified on the Tonlé website and all Tonlé items are signed by their Cambodian makers (Figure 4.5). Efforts focus on inclusivity, equity, and social justice. From the training programs

Figure 4.5 Tonlé items are signed by the artisan who made the product. Image courtesy of Leslie Burns.

104

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

to the pay, Tonlé has built a supportive environment where everyone is free to express themselves, learn new skills, gain confidence in what they do, and dream. Rachel believes investing in worker training and capacity may be hard in the short term but is best for everyone in the long run. The workers are much more satisfied in their jobs, much happier, produce better quality work, and stay longer. Increasing worker capacity is not just better from a human rights perspective, but from a business perspective. In Rachel’s words, “The most important thing and most meaningful part of my work, was paying the people and impacting their lives. Today, they love the Tonlé community and want to work there. Paying well should be the ‘base,’ not the goal.” Tonlé continues to be committed to fair employment practices and employ fair trade principles in all aspects of the business. All persons who have worked on a product that is made, sold, or distributed by Tonlé are paid a fair wage. In their workshop in Phnom Penh where the majority of finished goods are made, all team members are paid a base salary plus a bonus per piece rate, and work no more than 45 hours per week. In doing so, they are able to earn 1.5–2.5 times that of a typical garment factory worker in Cambodia, within a normal working day, whereas in a typical factory it is normal to work 3–4 hours of overtime per day in order to earn a living wage. The artisan workshop model of Tonlé has critical differences to the mass manufacturing and factory model (Figure 4.6). Rachel says, “In the factories, workers are not trained as well because they are not valued. They don’t have opportunities Figure 4.6  The artisan workshop model creates to move up into management a supportive work environment for those part of positions, which are mostly held the Tonlé team. Image courtesy of Tonlé. by men. This affects workers in numerous ways, but primarily, it affects whether or not they care about the products they are making.” Many of the women at Tonlé have been in those factories and share their experience with Rachel. Their testimony indicates that from the top down, care is not communicated in any way at any level. She feels that perhaps this contributes to the higher failure rates in production in Cambodian factories than in most other countries. From voices of women who are part of the Tonlé team: in a factory, the workers do not get the opportunity to work as a supervisor, or manager … … we don’t get tired here like when I worked in a factory … there we had to work overtime every day and rush, rush, rush all the time …

TONLÉ

105

… in other factories, the boss is a man ….and here when I see my boss is a woman, I want to be strong like her … … at the factory, they look down on people and discriminate. At Tonlé, everyone is helpful and speak nicely to each other … … many of the women at Tonlé are widows like me, and they have to take care of their children on their own. Women at Tonlé are strong …. … this place gives me hope. Only if I hear this place is closed, would I no longer have hope. As Tonlé grew, Rachel partnered with artisan groups in Cambodia for weaving materials. Rachel was maximizing all materials, cutting leftover fabric to strips to make yarn that could be woven into additional textile fabrics. However, some weavers only wanted to weave more traditional textiles and were initially resistant to this new type of weaving. Through Rachel’s leadership the weavers recognized the value in what they were doing and the buy-in came to weaving these new materials. Rachel also consulted with Carol Cassidy (Lao Textiles 2020), a consultant, weaver, and textile designer to help match up various weaving groups with projects. For example, Tonlé partners with Weaves Cambodia (2020), an artisan weaving studio located in Preah Vhear, Cambodia. Weaves Cambodia employs farmers, spinners, dyers, weavers, and finishers, most of whom are disabled. Those who cannot do the actual weaving create yarns from leftover pieces of

106

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

fabric by cutting them into strips and stitching the ends together that are then woven to fabrics (Figure 4.7). The small amount of waste left from these processes is mixed with paper from their office and patternmaking to be turned into the handmade paper. Rachel has been remarkable in blending and molding these unique individuals, their skills and culture, into an effort that honors the origins, processes, and all the people, and is rooted in their place along the river. This is the fabric of Tonlé—elevating people and place through their product.

Figure 4.7 a) Yarns are created from leftover pieces of fabric by cutting them into strips and stitching the ends together which are b) then woven into fabrics. Images courtesy of Tonlé.

The Impact and the Message of Tonlé Rachel wanted to quantify and share with customers and the public the impacts they were having. This desire for supply chain transparency went beyond the effect it might have had on sales; but speaks to her desire to affect change and drive improvements in sustainability throughout the fashion industry. As such, Rachel realized she needed to find better ways to document, explain, and communicate the processes and impacts of Tonlé related to both environmental sustainability and social sustainability. On the environmental side, Tonlé hired GreenStory to help quantify the environmental impacts of purchasing Tonlé clothing to be presented with each product on the Tonlé website. Using algorithms, databases, and company data, GreenStory calculates environmental footprints of products and creates visual stories to inform and engage customers (GreenStory 2020). This increased awareness of the textile and fashion industry in general, and helped consumers make informed choices. One can find metrics on Tonlé’s website around savings in water consumption, number of T-shirts diverted from landfill, number of cars off of the road for a day, and pounds of pesticides avoided.

TONLÉ

107

Rachel understands the role of economic sustainability in her business. At the end of the day, for consumers making decisions where to spend their dollars, cost is not really the reason for not buying socially conscious brands. Brand identity and convenience are key elements to consumer behavior. Consumers are not used to spending time and waiting. We need to come at these issues from multiple angles. Even old-fashioned protests work. However, ultimately people buy things that they like. We need to get people to our website or store, but they need to like our product once they are there. Perhaps the biggest challenge for Rachel is the competition with the traditional fashion industry. As Rachel states, “They rely on exploitation to make a profit. When you’re trying to do it the right way, it’s very hard. We have to make a profit to make it sustainable, yet so many companies cut corners to make things cheaper. We also want to make sure in our marketing, that we are being respectful of women and all workers.” Rachel understands that getting ethical clothing to retail venues where people go for convenience is important. Ethical clothing is generally not as accessible. She believes this effort needs multiple approaches, including education, media attention, and policy changes. Rachel has shown tremendous perseverance and courage to walk a way she sees as honest and equitable in every way, and to call on herself and others to make a difference. Her fearlessness in calling for change in an industry driven by disposability and waste, against great odds and huge obstacles, is refreshing.

Today and Tomorrow Rachel has guided Tonlé forward with a consistent and single-minded purpose. They utilize every thread in the clothing and textiles they make. They care about each step in the process and each person who touches each item. The Cambodian women who work at Tonlé have learned far more than skills, and many of them now hold management and training positions beyond what they imagined, leading others forward as the company grows. Rachel moved to the United States in late 2014, believing she could add more value by being in the place where the market was expanding. Production at Tonlé’s facilities in Cambodia was self-sufficient, with a solid team of managers and workers in place. By then there were ten wholesale buyers in Cambodia for Tonlé products in Cambodia, and Rachel felt that future growth would come in the US market. When asked what actions she would take related to future direction and growth of Tonlé, Rachel paused, and then thoughtfully answered, “If it doesn’t somehow improve the lives of the women who produce our clothes in Cambodia, then the answer is, we won’t go there.”

108

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Rachel would like to see all fashion and textile efforts begin with a harmonious relationship with the land, and then build on that harmony in the processes and the worker experience. She believes we need a fundamental shift in how we think, and that the consumer and the workers are victims in the big company fast fashion craze of our current culture. Rachel would like to see consumers hold fashion brands accountable—particularly around the corporate lie that we can have new, inexpensive, immediately available fashion for little environmental or social cost. The true costs of this wasteful epidemic of fast fashion are staggering (The True Cost 2015). Rachel believes that large fashion brand companies could make changes and still make a profit, but they are heavily focused on their risk. She also knows there are many good people inside these companies, but understands the difficulty for them to make any effective changes. Growth, for the most part, trumps mission. For Tonlé to get stronger, Rachel says, “I’ve had to identify my own strengths and consider where I needed help. Collaboration in general, is very good. We try too often to do things on our own that someone else has already solved. Mentors are important. I had good mentors in Cambodia whose advice was much more important than financial support would have been.” And Rachel continues, “Half the battle is knowing what you need and what you don’t, and hind sight is 20-20.” Rachel realized she needed to hire help to train skills she did not have. She hired a Cambodian woman who was a very operational thinker as COO. This woman trained the local people, one of whom was hired as an administrative assistant. That particular young woman learned so much, she is now serving as CEO in Cambodia. Rachel explains that it is much harder to train the creative side. She says they do send the workers to patternmaking school, but mostly she hires the creative design. Rachel acts as a consultant to the team doing technical design and pattern-making. She uses outside trainers to motivate herself and the other team members. Today, Tonlé directly employs thirty people in the Phnom Penh workshop that earn fair wages and benefits, including a generous vacation package, free lunch, training opportunities, and team retreats. They are a group of people brought together by the common belief that garment manufacturing can mean more than the exploitation of people and resources. That fashion can (and should) feel good, look good, and do good at the same time. Team members are trained in many aspects of the production and have the opportunity to rise into management positions, rather than staying stagnant in an assembly line style workflow. Tonlé partners with a weaving cooperative in northern Cambodia, which also employs twenty artisans, most of whom are full time. Tonlé’s wholesale market includes retail partners in Asia, Australia, Europe, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In addition, Tonlé sells direct-to-consumer through their website and retail boutique in San Francisco.

TONLÉ

109

Rachel is bravely and intensely honest in sharing her greatest revelation on the Tonlé journey. She shares, I thought I was going there to help people, but instead I’m finding that salvation and grace are coming to me from the Cambodian people, and I’m just helping share that. We go to less developed countries to fix the problems, without acknowledging that we created the problems. We need to own this. Colonialism and white supremacy have rooted many of the problems that existed there and still exists there, and it’s that way all around the world. We view ourselves as white saviors. As consumers and white people, we have a history of abuse throughout the world. I’m in the position I’m in because of the problem. What I’m doing is simply one small effort to help rectify the wrongs we’ve done and the situations we’ve helped create. Rachel goes on to say, There’s a lot of discussion in the ethical/sustainable fashion industry about the perpetuation of white supremacy. We do this without acknowledging the indigenous traditions that have always been there. Fair trade has a long history with white saviorism, but we cannot exclude the people we have exploited, in our solutions. We need to be in collaboration with the people who make everything. Sustainable fashion is a partnership. I’m honored to work with these Cambodian women. Letting me do this business is an act of grace on their part. For Rachel, the fundamental shift she refers to includes our attitudes and language, choosing words that do not reinforce power structures, but are mutually reinforcing and respectful of all people and cultures, and actions that preserve and protect our limited natural resources. Rachel practices this partnership ethic and servant leadership, keeping the Cambodian women at the forefront and involved in all decision making. Throughout Rachel’s efforts in Cambodia, she has worked to create independence for the business and the workers, with the goal for the Cambodian women to own and run a profitable business and enrich their lives. This goal has been achieved one step at a time, as skills and confidence grow, with the hope that she would exit and the business would carry on. Although they can never equal the true power of nature’s river, for the women and men who have joined the Tonlé brand team, it has become for them a source of new life, hope, strength, and sustenance. Tonlé enriches their lives with new purpose, new skills, opportunity, and confidence, bringing a peaceful empowerment to their lives. To honor the people and the process is to honor the place, in this case the Tonlé Sap River. And like the river, Tonlé the brand has become their grounding place.

110

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

References and Resources BBC News (2018, November 16). Khmer Rouge: Cambodia’s Years of Brutality. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific–10684399. Accessed February 28, 2020. Burns, Leslie Davis (2019). Sustainability and Social Change in Fashion, New York: Fairchild Books/Bloomsbury Publishing. Environmental Protection Agency (2015, June). Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: 2013 Fact Sheet. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/ files/2015-09/documents/2013_advncng_smm_fs.pdf Faller, Rachel (2019, June 11). Personal interview. Greenstory (2020). How It Works. https://greenstory.ca/howitworks/. Accessed February 28, 2020. Lao Textiles (2020). Home. http://www.laotextiles.com/. Accessed February 28, 2020. Quackenbush, Casey (2019, January 7). 40 Years after the Fall of the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia Still Grapples with Pol Pot’s Brutal Legacy. Time.com. https:// time.com/5486460/pol-pot-cambodia–1979/. Accessed February 28, 2020. Rissanen, Timo and McQuillan, Holly (2018). Zero Waste Fashion Design. London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts. Siemreap.net (2017). The Mekong River. https://www.siemreap.net/visit/aboutcambodia/general-info/the-mekong-river/. Accessed February 28, 2020. The True Cost (2015). https://truecostmovie.com/. Accessed March 2, 2020. Tonlé (2020). https://tonle.com/. Accessed March 1, 2020. Weaves Cambodia (2020). About Weaves of Cambodia. https://www. weavescambodia.com/. Accessed February 28, 2020.

111

5 Indigenous Designs: Climbing a Mountain

Indigenous (adjective): originating or occurring naturally in a particular place; native.

Where Have You Been, My Friend? The story behind Indigenous Designs may change your mind about destiny. Could being late to work and barreling into an innocent pedestrian in the crosswalk change your life? It was 1987 and Scott Leonard, co-founder Indigenous Designs, was working at a restaurant in Palo Alto, California, when he found himself late for work. As he tells the story, I was actually running through the crosswalk trying to get my smock bib uniform on and struggling to get it tied, completely engrossed in the challenge. I was late and stressed and lost track of what was in front of me. All of a sudden, there was a body right there and no way to avoid it. I instinctively rotated my shoulder as I hit this guy, and I flattened him! I mean he was knocked to the ground and everything went flying! I felt terrible! Instantly, work was forgotten as I helped him up. Literally, I picked him up and I’m trying to gather up all his stuff which is scattered across the street and cars are honking. It was awful. I felt so bad about it; I insisted on walking him on across the street and into my place of work to sit down. And I made him a smoothie. His name was Joe Flood, and his first comment to Scott turned out to be prophetic, “Where have you been my friend?” No one could have guessed that this accident would begin a lifelong relationship and that “picking him up” would be symbolic for a mission and a business that Scott would launch.

INDIGENOUS DESIGNS

113

Joe was an Ecuadorian social activist with a passion to help people. Scott continues, “We started to talk and I was immediately captivated by the language he used and what he was saying.” Joe returned to the restaurant the next day and they talked again. And again. Within the first two or three meetings, Scott and Joe would go down the street to take long walks on the campus of Stanford University, talking about life in Ecuador and how he saw the world as a person of color. Scott says, “Joe appreciated what I did for him after the encounter and immediately recognized that maybe this event was supposed to happen.” There was something else about Joe that got Scott’s attention. Joe wore hand-knitted sweaters from Ecuador, a part of Joe’s culture that had special interest for Scott. Early conversations included how indigenous women in Ecuador carried on timeless traditions, like knitting the sweaters Joe wore. Their collision encounter became a defining moment for Scott and he knew they would somehow work together in the future. Not long after the initial encounter with Joe, Scott moved and began working in a surf shop; but the relationship with Joe continued, always picking up on the same stream of conversation. They started with questions that would eventually be a mission: how do we preserve cultural traditions, take care of the earth, and be viable economically all at the same time? It was a time for questioning the current status of environmental sustainability. As Scott says, “We were all wondering how things could continue as they were. There was the whole Chico Mendes1 struggle going on and his awardwinning efforts for developing more holistic and cooperative systems in support of the Amazon forests and local culture and community.” Scott grew up in a fashion and retailing environment, his father having worked for Macy’s as a senior vice president and a top executive of fashion brand, Esprit. Scott was also aware of the waste, environmental degradation, and abusive labor practices associated with the fashion industry. He began to think about a new approach to creating fashion apparel that would honor both people and the planet. His discussions and growing friendship with Joe opened his eyes to the potential of working with indigenous artisans in Ecuador. His heart opened to the possibility of launching a socially responsible knitwear business as a way to live his commitment to social good, a path that would hold his focus and fuel his passion going forward. The ethnic hand-knit sweaters Joe wore from his home country Ecuador had strong appeal for Scott and, eventually, he traveled with Joe to Ecuador. They visited several communities where the age-old traditions and practices of spinning and dyeing textiles and knitting sweaters were still a way of life (Figure 5.1). As Scott tells it, “I saw firsthand that women were not necessarily being honored for their weaving and amazing hand-knitting skills. They weren’t Chico Mendes was a Brazilian rubber tapper, trade union leader, and environmentalist. He fought to preserve the Amazon rainforest and preserve natural resources, protect families and communities, and support indigenous people and their cultures. His assassination in 1988 made international headlines and resulted in an outpouring of support for environmental efforts (Rocha and Watts 2013).

1

114

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Figure 5.1  Hand spinning and knitting wool is a generational skill of Ecuadorian indigenous artisans. Photo credit: Iryna Kurilovych/Getty Images.

being paid the wages that they could have been, and they didn’t have the opportunity to apply those skills to the marketplace.” These were the economically marginalized communities Joe had talked about since their initial meeting. “We really wanted to make a difference …” and that meant particularly with women. “We thought that bringing in fair wages and technical assistance and marrying environmentally friendly fibers with more sophisticated designs was a way to do that.”

A Brand Is Born Scott founded Indigenous Designs (and the complementary brand, Indigenous) in 1993. By this time Joe was a senior software engineer at Oracle and provided some initial funding to launch the business as well as serving as an interpreter and consultant. The initial product line consisted of men’s wool hand-knit sweaters sold as unisex sweaters through wholesale trade shows such as Outdoor Retailer. All the products were made in Ecuador using the skills of the women artisans. From the first trade show the unique product was a success. As business grew Scott knew the company needed someone who could bring additional structure to the supply chain and retail accounts. About this

INDIGENOUS DESIGNS

115

time, Scott attended the wedding of a good friend, Michael. Michael had maintained deep and independent friendships with Scott and another friend Matthew (Matt) Reynolds. Michael had kept in contact with both of them and had suggested they talk and get updated on each other’s activities. Matt and Scott had known each other since seventh grade but after high school they had been in touch only sporadically. At the rehearsal dinner the night before Michael’s wedding, Matt sat down next to Scott and Scott started talking. He tells Matt how he has started a clothing company that honors people and the planet, and he is making artisan products with indigenous women in the mountains of Ecuador and Matt says, “You’re doing what?!” According to Matt, his path to Indigenous Designs began while, as a child, he was living in South America with his family. My dad was a progressive developmental economist at Stanford, working to create opportunity for those who needed it most in the America’s. I learned that we share this world with many diverse people and that our true worth is not defined by what we take from it, but rather what we give back to it. The special people I grew up with in Central and South America and their culture were part of my daily life. And exactly at this time in my life, after a prosperous early career in retail, my heart was searching for more. As Matt tells it, I was thinking a lot about organic and sustainable apparel, and at that time, was doing a lot of travel with no hard schedule. I planned to be in the area of Michael’s wedding for about a week. Then I sit down next to Scott whom I haven’t seen in five years, and right away, I can see that Scott is in an amazing place. His first child had been born the day before. Imagine how much love Scott had for Mike, to be there when his first child was one day old! Scott was so tired. He was just home from the hospital but he has to go to this wedding, so he shows up at the rehearsal dinner. Scott picks up the story, “Matt asks me about what I’m doing, and I start talking about Indigenous Designs, and his eyes light up, and he says ‘What?!’” Matt continues the narrative, I have chills running down my back because Scott is talking about Ecuador, and I knew exactly what they were working on. He is initiating something in the textile industry and for me the sparks started flying. He was talking about sustainability. A cultural, environmental and economic focus—that is speaking to everything in me. We stayed up all night long talking about what Indigenous Designs could be. Scott says, “That whole week we were just talking about this. We had to stop ourselves; there was a wedding going on! But that night after the

116

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Figure 5.2  Scott Leonard and Matt Reynolds, Co-founders, Indigenous Designs. Image courtesy of Indigenous Designs.

rehearsal dinner, I said, ‘Join me Matt’.” Matt continues, “The marriage of my retail acumen with compassion for the world’s diverse peoples and cultures was a natural personal growth step for me, and my path was chosen” (Figure 5.2). Scott and Matt are remarkably effective business partners. They had both grown up in the San Francisco Bay area sharing friendship and values. That context provided a backdrop for the skill sets that would eventually align with their hearts for making a difference. The “strategic energy” of Scott and the “reflection and balance” of Matt are evidence of their great complementary work, each bringing their own level of passion. Scott and Matt approach problems from different perspectives, but their goals are the same. With values and vision that align, they work their way to the middle from different positions of a spectrum. They have been business partners for twenty-five years and they say their relationship is as healthy as ever. Matt shares, “Scott has tremendous creativity, and he’s always ‘open’. He’s like a squirrel that gathers nuts and then plays the matching game. He works great with the distributed artisan groups. Where I bring value, is in being linear and highly organized. I point things into a path of progression, go through the execution process and check things off.” Scott adds, Matt’s organizational skills are amazing. And then there’s a dovetailing element to us. We’re both fairly social and relate with a wide variety of people. We work well collectively in talking about marketing, sales

INDIGENOUS DESIGNS

117

strategy or product growth opportunities. And we actually still really enjoy each other’s company outside of work. We’ll go have a beer, play tennis, or go to a movie. We drum together and play music. We play in a band dubbed the “Bongo Boys”! We have a chemistry that makes things tick, and a great respect and friendship.

Climbing a Mountain Indigenous Designs began as a very small company built on a very big idea: to create clothing that truly honored both people and planet. That idea became a promise—a promise to use only environmentally responsible materials, to pay fair wages through partnerships with artisans, and change the way the world looks at fashion in the process. From this beginning, Indigenous Designs would become recognized as a leader of fair trade and organic fashion. Creating an effective and efficient supply chain was key to this success. Scott recognized that he could tweak the designs that would appeal to the surfer and outdoor enthusiast target customer and source production from artisans that made handmade products in their homes, creating a supply chain that was different from the norm at the time. Joe was instrumental in making connections and serving as an interpreter. Scott would also come to rely on NGOs for help with communication and to set up payment structures to assure that money was paid directly to the women and that these women had their own bank accounts. Matt explains, We were watching this thing happen with Ecuador, running a very tightly controlled effort with a tremendous amount of energy put into it by Joe, Scott and me; we were three voracious problem solvers. We were using traditional indigenous methods including handspun yarns, needle knitting, washing (by hand) undyed 100% wool in the rivers, and working hand-in-hand with NGOs to build this. The NGOs were paramount, and we wanted to get this to where we could scale. Joe, Scott, and Matt had many conversations around whether they should be a for-profit or nonprofit business. NGOs had been involved there for quite some time and had funding to support some of the artisan cooperatives. They saw this as a double-edged sword because the cooperatives that had financial support would ramp up and thrive, and then when that support ended, they would decline. The three of them knew this was not an economically sustainable model. Challenges in operations and logistics to produce the garments often seemed unsurmountable. The Indigenous Designs team was literally climbing a mountain to effectively scale a cottage industry production model

118

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

into a revolutionary process that would respect artisans and provide them with a fair living wage. Scaling production was a challenge, particularly around assuring consistent and high-quality production. The arduous task of getting materials to the artisans, supervising quality control, and getting garments made, finished, and out of very remote locations to make their way into the market was a logistical nightmare. For example, Matt explains his discovery process around communication within an artisan supply chain, On one of my first trips to Ecuador, we were doing a tour for one of our wholesale accounts, and I remember the conversation so clearly. I was talking with a lead knitter for one of our artists’ groups who was a wonderful beautiful woman who had been knitting for 30 years. I showed her how an XL sweater was so short on my body with sleeves way too short. And I’m saying the specs are off on this sweater. She replied that the sweater was not wrong, that it matched the specs, and that her nephew is an XL. She says “your specs are off”. At first, I did not understand, and my questioning look gave her pause. She then looked up at me (I am 6’3”) and quickly realized that our specs were correct and that an XL in Ecuador was not an XL in the U.S.! You have to be so clear in your communications. Scott and Matt recognized the challenges of being entrepreneurs while at the same time working to fix major social and economic issues. They noted a long list of what they considered constraints: dealing with consumer acceptance (fair trade and organic was considered somewhat “hippy” and not fashion-oriented at the time), financial and capital constraints, production constraints, fiber quality constraints, marketing constraints, and production timeline constraints. Against these obstacles, they held steadfast to their mission while at the same time adhering to manageable financial metrics. Scott took the lead in diving deeper into sustainability and in working with the artisan vendors, realizing that it was not just about being an entrepreneur, but also being a leader. Matt focused on both problem solving and looking for opportunities, keeping an eye on the market horizon, as well as organizing and separating the responsibilities. In parallel, they were paying attention to financing, deadlines, key performance indicators, budgets and cash flow, paying vendors, and setting goals and benchmarks. In the beginning, the team focused on sales. Monthly goals were turned into yearly goals. As entrepreneurs, risk was ever present, but Scott and Matt stayed true to the social mission, collecting data on the artisans, working to measure the true impact of their efforts, and working to positively affect people’s lives. They believed the data and documentation of impact would be catalysts in the marketplace and they embraced “best in class” practices. This was also the beginning of an ethic of networking and cooperation, leveraging the experience of others who could assist; an ethic that has continued today.

INDIGENOUS DESIGNS

119

Beyond Ecuador As Indigenous Designs grew Scott and Matt wanted to offer additional products and expand beyond the use of wool fibers. Carrying their vision as they traveled, they would meet passionate entrepreneurs on the ground who happened to live in remote places, and working with them to build something together was a natural progression. Their model has continued to this day, adhering to fair trade principles, partnering with artisans and staying with natural and organic materials. However, adding fibers and product lines was not without its challenges. For example, as Matt explains, We wanted to blend hemp and wool and, with some development help from friend Yitzac Golstein, were the first company to bring a hemp/wool blend into the US market. We wanted to create an amazing eco sweater and did this with natural colors and some low impact dyes. We sourced the hemp from China and used US virgin wool, and then distributed those yarns to women in West Virginia to knit by hand into the sweaters. It took several years to bring the product to market, but we got it done. Where there is a will there is a way. However, when researching hemp processing in China, the chemical use did not meet our standards, so we ultimately dropped hemp as a category and focused on organic cotton. The company made the decision to commit and expand heavily into organic cotton. This took Scott and Matt to Peru, where they had the opportunity to combine their visions of expanded materials/fibers and products, and their work in marginalized communities (Figure 5.3).

120

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Figure 5.3  a) the Peruvian Highlands b) are rich with traditions and skills in knitting alpaca. a: Getty/Richard l’Anson; b: Getty Images/Kelly Cheng Travel Photography.

In Peru we saw amazing work being done to preserve colored alpacas. This work aligned with our philosophy of preserving culture (Figure 5.4). Alpacas are revered in the Peruvian culture. However, for too many years alpaca farmers were raising only white Figure 5.4 Indigenous Designs worked with alpaca alpacas as their wool farmers in Peru to preserve naturally colored alpacas. absorbs dyes more Getty Images/Richard l’Anson. consistently for large scale textiles and garment and that’s what the markets were demanding. Unfortunately, this practice has led to weaker and more sickly herds. We wanted to encourage the farmers to maintain the naturally colored alpaca characteristics important to the survival of these amazing animals. Scott shares,

INDIGENOUS DESIGNS

121

We really wanted to find a way to market the colored alpaca to help preserve them. The alpaca farmers had a huge struggle; it’s not like here in the U.S. where our USDA might step in and help farmers with a problem like that. If we could market the natural colored alpaca fiber, we’re talking about water reduction and chemical reduction, and this is eliminating all the dye stuff altogether. Our PURE collection is an example of using no dyes. There are over 20 clear colors that can be created with the naturally colored alpaca fiber including black, white, rose gray, champagne, light browns, and dark browns. Then you can blend with cotton and do twists creating more colorways. Adding organic cotton to the fiber selection was the next logical step. As Matt says, At the core, we’ve always been huge environmentalists and social activists. We were already using amazing wools but we wanted to round that out. We were aware of Sally Fox and the emergence of color grown and organic cotton (see “Types of Cotton”). In general, we wanted to improve the hand and feel in our clothing with the textiles, and at the same time, migrate specifically to women’s products. We wanted to achieve lighter knits and softer hand (Figure 5.5).

Figure 5.5 Women’s hand-knit organic cotton sweater. Image courtesy of Indigenous Designs.

122

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

TYPES OF COTTON Organic cotton: cotton from plants that are not genetically modified and are certified to be grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or defoliants. Color grown, naturally colored cotton, or colored cotton: varieties of cotton that are grown in natural colors other than commercial white; including dark brown, medium brown, light brown, khaki, light green, and green. FoxFibre®: trademarked brand of Sally Fox’s variety of color grown cottons derived from traditional plant breeding methods and is not bleached or dyed. She obtained Plant Variety Protection Certificates for the cotton variety. FoxFibre®’s color can continue to intensify with up to fifty washings (Vreseis Limited 2020).

The move to adding cotton products was not entirely a straight line. They explored many options. As Scott tells it, “The majority of organic cotton we use comes from Peru, but we also worked in the Alleghenies, India, Guatemala, Central and South America – anywhere that we could utilize artisan skill, pay living wage and put fair trade principles into place using natural and organic fibers.” Their move from exclusively hand processing to mills allowed broader yarn developments and offerings enabling a wider variety of product capabilities. “There was market and consumer demand for certain types of products and that drove our direction,” says Scott. They used spinning mills in Peru that allowed them to do a variety of things, like making thinner yarns in a variety of gauges, woolen and worsted spun yarns, crepe and boucle yarns, all with natural fibers. The spinning and dyeing were under a single management at these mills, and they could influence the choices of dyes to those that were safer and more environmentally responsible. However, they faced challenges with short staple of naturally colored cotton, with naturally green cotton being the most difficult to work with. Matt explains one of the problems: We were doing a natural color sportswear line out of the color grown green cotton, and after a season of them being in the window of retailers, the fibers would change color. These organic fibers still have their life properties; they are living fibers, and the sun turns them brown! It’s hard to make this work, so we do very little color grown green cotton today.

INDIGENOUS DESIGNS

123

This journey has been a give-and-take process for Scott, Matt, and their partners. Matt explains, “We had access to markets so we would ask the mills if they could change certain practices or do a certain organic process.” Scott adds, “A majority of our knits are done either by hand on needles, or with hand carried knitting machines, and we needed the mills to make yarns that could work for us.” Through all their work, at the core have been the artisans. Indigenous would be successful only if they were treating all artisans as respected and valued human beings. They continue to strive to better the lives of all who make their clothes, not only by providing fair wages, but also in the safety and quality of their working environments. They have accomplished this by elevating the skills of the people they work with and working to make positive impacts in their communities.

The Artisan Co-op Model Creating an artisan supply chain that honored every person who touched the product while assuring consistency and quality, and meeting deadlines for production deliverables, was a daunting endeavor. As Scott says, How do you elevate a cottage industry’s quality control when you’re dealing with over 100 artisans and many are in pockets of three to 30? How do you aggregate their work and have continuity and consistency that’s truly premium? It was important for us to go step by step, elevating their skills so they could get a better wage, and bringing others into the know. He says there were a lot of quality-control glitches, from fibers to knitting, to consistency of sizing and fit, to timing of delivery and more. With Matt’s background in both retail and developmental economics, he was prepared to tackle systems integration. As he shares, “We had a unique production model, one that was diversified and spread out. We had to create a new systems model to manage that, and it took a lot of time, collaboration and money” (Figure 5.6). As Scott says, Our structure began purely with cooperatives of artisans, but then migrated to include nuclear family enterprises of three to fifteen people. The idea is that you can create a legal entity in a really hard to reach place without all the things in business that usually weigh you down. We know that if it’s all women, we need a legal entity that they control. How do they set up their pay structure? Scott learned from the NGOs that one way to empower women was through their own bank accounts, experience showing that the money was

124

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Figure 5.6  Indigenous Designs uses an artisan co-op model with central hubs for delivery and quality control. Image courtesy of Indigenous Designs.

more likely to go to meals for the children and education than when money was paid to the men. This was very unusual in these marginalized communities. The NGO’s helped a lot. No perfect story line solution existed. There were some successes, but ongoing concerns, and we tried a variety of structures through microenterprise and cooperatives in combination, plus SME – small and medium sized enterprises. They would help us (a) coalesce and distribute yarns and production (yarns, designs, spec sheets, instructions), (b) they knew the capabilities of the various groups, and (c) they helped us do the quality control (QC). The lead person of each enterprise would have the production schedule and get the knit panels done in “lots,” say of ten each, and collect the cards that registered each panel a knitter had knit. That leader would give payment to the knitters and do all the communication on QC. They would also manage ten panels going in, and two groups of ten panels going out to the linkers, and then aggregate the finished pieces for packaging, hand tagging, counting (inventory) and sending out. Matt adds, When we go back to the beginning, and we were only doing hand knit, we created central hubs where the people didn’t have to travel so far. They would lay down the actual finished product and check specs, retraining

INDIGENOUS DESIGNS

125

the knitters as needed. But these hubs were still in the mountains. With this model, we created a reputation for on time and reliable delivery of product. We had a very low return rate, because defective product was staying in the mountains. Matt continues, We have been warriors on the front lines. It was rapid trial and error early on. We have learned how important it is to have good financial planning and we had elements and experience in our combined backgrounds that helped us formulate this system. Scott’s background was in screen printing and cut and sew at the surf shop. I was a department store retail buyer and then worked as a business development manager to open up multiple specialty stores. We were just going and going and going, learning many lessons, before we ever got to the money raising stage. One needs to patch all the holes and fix things before you take the ship out to sea. We took a step up when Harry Leonard (Scott’s father) joined our executive team. He brought an even more formalized business structure and approach, with tracking and reporting of the business itself. My dad was a Professor of Developmental Economics and he was on our board. Gaining insights from the Italian model, we built structure into our artisan model with access to leading design, luxurious materials and access to markets.

Economic Sustainability: Financial Strategies Financial stability is often a key challenge for startup companies (see “Responsible Investing Terms”). Scott talks about the financing obstacle for Indigenous Designs. It’s not just that we were a visionary startup company trying to do something no one else had done. But once we collected an order and gave it to an artisan, how does that artisan pay for the fibers, and if they’re the lead, how do they pay the other people in the group? They don’t want terms. They’ve done the work and they want to be paid right then. We needed a better way to finance the production. In 2001, with the support of Josh Mailman, Scott and Matt began engaging with RSF Social Finance, the trade name of Rudolf Steiner Foundation, Inc. and its affiliates. RSF Social Finance develops “innovative social finance tools” and creates “new models of working together, new products, and fresh ways of engaging with finance” (RSF Social Finance 2020). Scott says, “Our balance sheet was not looking so great and conventional banking was just not going to work. That was a difficult hurdle. RSF Social Finance

126

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

provided working capital, helped us to formalize our financial strategies, and helped us attract other socially minded investors.” Matt adds, RSF encouraged us to include a section on social returns in the business plan for its Series A funding round, and that ended up being the aspect some investors were most impressed with. RSF has been a pioneer and supportive spirit in trying to push the social and environmental return aspect into financials and into evaluating the success of a business. In partnership with RSF Social Finance, Scott and Matt created a donoradvised fund to support community grants and reinvestment, including: ●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

free training and workshops steady year-round work zero interest loans for equipment and education the ability for artisans to work from home flexible hours and schedule investment in local schools and communities

The creative work needed in the financial aspects of the business stoked Matt and Scott’s passions in a unique way, and they pressed on, spearheading a revolutionary production financing model for fair trade knitting cooperatives with the help of Root Capital (Figure 5.7). Founded

Figure 5.7 With the support of Root Capital, artisan co-ops contributed to the growth of their community by creating jobs, raising incomes, empowering women, and preserving vulnerable ecosystems. Image courtesy of Indigenous Designs.

INDIGENOUS DESIGNS

127

in 1999, Root Capital provides small-scale “agricultural businesses with financial capital and training to help them grow … so they become engines of impact that transform rural communities” (Root Capital 2020). Matt shares that, Part of the challenge is developing financial literacy within the artisan community. How do you create an understanding of the importance of deadlines and managing those deadlines in order to create financial stability within the system? We needed to get financing pressure off our back so we could focus on building the business. With Root Capital, we built a transparent financial model. Scott expands on the challenge, Root Capital is an MFI (Monetary Financial Institution), that exists to scale fair trade work. How do you deal with a cooperative farmer that doesn’t have the money to bank all the materials needed to produce the goods? For us, laying out the capital and having it on our balance sheet was hard. Representatives from Root Capital went on trips with us, looking at SMEs, quality control (QC) hubs. They took our purchase orders and gave us a guaranteed loan that went into the supply chain. This loan to the producer in the supply chain put the price on each item up by US$1.00, but that was okay. Willy Foote, founder and CEO, of Root Capital was a “hands on” investment guy and took multiple trips with us, travelling to the handcraft cooperatives with us. Scott continues, “These investors guarantee loans to build up and build out the supply chain. We don’t own the right to their production, but we have first right of refusal for access to production. It’s all about relationships and year-round sustainable work, and they don’t have to sign up that they owe us production.”

128

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

RESPONSIBLE INVESTING TERMS Best-in-Class—Focusing investments in companies that have historically performed better than their peers within a particular industry or sector based on analysis of environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) issues. CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution)—An institution run through the US Treasury that creates a fund investing federal money alongside private sector capital. Supporting change in economically disadvantaged communities, it focuses on mission-driven financial institutions. Ceres—A nonprofit organization that leads a national coalition of investors, environmental organizations, and other public interest groups working with companies to address sustainability challenges such as climate change and water scarcity. Community Investing/Community Impact Investing—Directing investment capital to communities that are underserved by traditional financial services institutions. In general, provides access to credit, equity, capital, and basic banking products that these communities would otherwise lack. Double Bottom Line—A term used to describe the combination of quantitative + qualitative analysis embraced by socially conscious investors. The qualitative analysis overlay generally differentiates responsible investing from its conventional roots and competitors. Environmental Justice—The fair treatment and inclusion of all people, regardless of their race, color, national origin, or socioeconomic stature. This inclusion is comprehensive of all issues, from development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Flint Michigan and Katrina are two historic examples of environmental injustice. ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance)—Investment analysis that incorporates environmental, social, and corporate governance factors into the investment process. ESG terminology was developed and promulgated by the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investing (UNPRI). Ethical Investing—Investment philosophy guided by moral values, ethical codes, or religious beliefs. This practice has traditionally been associated with negative screening. Green America—A national nonprofit consumer organization promoting environmental sustainability, social justice, and economic justice to individuals and businesses in the marketplace. Impact Investing—Investment strategies that provide capital to companies working to generate a financial return along with significant societal or environmental benefit.

INDIGENOUS DESIGNS

129

Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI)—The United Nationsbacked Principles for Responsible Investment Initiative (UNPRI) is a network of international investors working together to put the six Principles for Responsible Investment into practice. The Principles were devised with input from the global community of responsible investors. They reflect the view that environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) issues can affect the performance of investment portfolios and therefore must be given appropriate consideration by investors if they are to fulfill their fiduciary (or equivalent) duty. The Principles provide a voluntary framework by which all investors can incorporate ESG issues into their decision-making and ownership practices, and better align their investment objectives with those of society at large. SRI—Sustainable, responsible, impact (SRI) investing is the process of integrating personal values, societal concerns, and/or institutional mission into investment decision-making. SRI is an investment process that considers the social and environmental consequences of investments, both positive and negative, within the context of rigorous financial analysis. SRI portfolios seek to invest in companies with the strongest demonstrated performance in the areas of environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) Issues. In some circles, SRI (also known as “green” or “values-based” or “impact” investing, or “responsible” investing) reflects concerns that are believed to influence investor risk. Sustainability Report—A report produced by an organization to inform stakeholders about its policies, programs, and performance regarding environmental, social, and economic (ESG) issues. Sustainability reports, also known as corporate citizenship reports, or CSR reports, are usually voluntary, and are sometimes independently audited and/or integrated into financial reports. There is a growing trend toward integration and assurance. Sustainable Development—The concept of meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. It encompasses social justice, protection of the environment, efficient use of natural resources, and economic wellbeing. Triple Bottom Line—A holistic approach to measuring a company’s performance on environmental, social, and economic issues. The triple bottom line approach to management focuses companies not just on the economic value (profit) they add, but also on the environmental (planet) and social (people) value they may add or detract. Sources: www.firstaffirmative.com; www.ceres.org; www.mercer.com/ri; www.parnassus.com; www.ussif.org

130

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Networks, Organizations, and Certifications As Scott and Matt continued efforts in sustainability, they wove an intentional connection with people engaged with sustainability issues from a number of industries. As Scott says, People involved in alternative energy, natural consumer products, and organic food production, among others. Access to higher levels of information inspires me to be a better consumer, homeowner, gardener, and overall human being. Initially, my belief and focus on environmental issues laid the groundwork for the business. But building Indigenous has forced me to more thoroughly explore and expand those value sets. The business has inspired me to find new opportunities to have a positive impact through my daily actions. My wife and I have installed solar panels on our home, and are currently pursuing a gray water system. Soon we will be participating in permaculture programs that give back to our community through local Sonoma County organizations such as FEED and the Ceres Project. We were driving hybrid and electric cars early on and we encouraged our employees to do the same through green incentive programs. Scott and Matt have been aligning themselves with groups that come together around sustainability for years, believing that it is good for business to do the right thing. This ethic of networking, learning from others, and embracing cooperative strategies has paid dividends in multiple ways. For example, through these networks Scott and Matt have benefited from great mentors and others doing business in like-minded companies. They joined the Social Venture Network, now called Social Venture Circle (Social Venture Circle 2020) early on, and in fact, some of their early supporters and investors were members of that network. As Scott shares, A lot of roads travel back to SVN starting with Josh Mailman, one of Indigenous Designs biggest champions. The founders of companies like Body Shop and Ben & Jerry’s were our heroes and we looked up to them. We became members. So did Eileen Fisher. In about 2006, through their top sustainability person who went to the meetings, we learned that they were looking for organic cotton product. We showed them our organic naturally colored cotton product and her response was, “This is amazing!” There were a lot of hoops to jump through to do business with them, like was it soft enough, was the quality good enough, all the testing, and can you do this at scale? It put us through the gauntlet and not only taught us a lot, but confirmed a lot about what we were doing. It became a great win-win relationship. Scott says he travels not just for fashion events, but also to meet with sustainability professionals focused on global supply chains. “I have enjoyed

INDIGENOUS DESIGNS

131

setting an example of an equitable supply chain and it’s been rewarding collaborating with the Sustainable Working Group (Outdoor Industry Association), the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Textile Exchange, and the C&A Foundation. Those relationships and collaborations have helped to keep Indigenous at the forefront as a leader promoting sustainability and organic fashion initiatives globally.” In addition to these organizations, Indigenous Designs is a member (Figure of Green America® Figure 5.8 Green America® is 5.8), a nonprofit organization a national nonprofit consumer whose mission is “to harness organization promoting environmental economic power—the strength of sustainability, social justice, and consumers, investors, businesses, economic justice. Image courtesy of and the marketplace—to create a Green America. socially just and environmentally sustainable society” (Green America 2020). Fashion for Good, a platform for the fashion industry to create a more circular economy (Fashion for Good 2020) which Scott helped advise and get off the ground as an initiative, has also been a useful networking organization for Scott and Matt. Scott and Matt have also made acquiring third-party certifications a priority. Key aspects of these third-party certifications are traceability, accountability, and communication. According to Matt, an important certification they are proud of was becoming a founding certified B Corporation, one of the actual first “original twelve” companies. As discussed in Chapter 1, the B Corporation certification program, overseen by B Lab, requires that businesses “meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose” (B Lab 2020). Indigenous Designs was one of the first companies to receive B Corporation certification, signing the B Corporation Declaration of Interdependence on June 1, 2007. As Matt explains, A small group of founding B Corporations joined together in San Francisco to celebrate the movement and sign the B Corp Declaration of Interdependence! It truly felt like a historic moment! This move cemented our bylaws and made us part of a movement of businesses that take into consideration all stakeholders not just shareholders. We put it everywhere—including on hang tags (Figure 5.9).

132

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

The B Corporation network is strong and aligned, encouraging companies to conduct business with other certified B Corporations whenever possible. In addition, Indigenous Designs utilizes and adheres to the standards of other certifications including: ●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

USDA Certified Organic cotton GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified cotton Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification that ensures that all dyes used are safe, non-toxic, and do no harm to the environment Fair Trade Certified™ by Fair Trade USA® that ensures fair trade practices (Fair Trade USA 2020, Figure 5.10) Peru Fair Trade

Figure 5.9 As a Certified B Corporation, Indigenous Designs the B Corp logo is incorporated into their communications and marketing activities. Image courtesy of B Lab.

Figure 5.10 Scott and Matt at a fair trade finishing facility. Image courtesy of Indigenous Designs.

INDIGENOUS DESIGNS

133

Documenting and Communicating Impact Indigenous Designs, in keeping with its mission, has been transparent in its equitable revenue allocation, paying the artisans more than is typical of conventional textile and apparel companies. They continue to strive to lift the lives of the people who produce the clothing as well as ensure they work under safe working conditions. This means the artisans make a fair, living wage well above what they might earn working independently. As previously noted, Scott and Matt have created a donor-advised fund with RSF Social Financial to support their artisans’ communities through grants. In addition, they continue to partner directly with NGOs and others that provide training, educational materials, and equipment that the artisan groups could not otherwise afford. Scott says, “There is excitement in our investor community and this approach aligns with the idea of ‘redistribution of wealth.’ Where we’re going injects a new element, and it’s been disruptive for the industry.” Indigenous Designs is also committed to fair trade partnerships with culturally diverse artisans. Scott continues, We know from experiencing communities around the world that knitting clothes in many cultures is a time-honored tradition. The knitting practices have significant cultural meaning worthy of livable financial rewards. Indigenous is proud of its independently certified record of developing apparel manufacturing partnerships that elevate knitting and hand looming artisan cooperatives. Our support of these artisan cooperatives, located in some of the poorest regions of South America, are making it possible for traditions to continue while families thrive with dignity, living outside of poverty. But what is the most effective way to document and communicate the impact of this amazing work? By the numbers, Indigenous Designs can accurately state: ●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

100% of our 1,000+ artisans are paid above fair-trade wages we help provide 250 Highland artisans and their families with clean drinking water 48,450,000 L of water saved annually 50 economically marginalized women per year receive free skills training and materials, helping them beat poverty zero interest loans for women entrepreneurs to start or expand their own workshops 6,528 oz of the world’s most deadly pesticides kept off the land

134

●●

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

the value of preserving traditional textile techniques indigenous to Peru is difficult to quantify … yet is at the heart of our company

As Scott notes, To date (July 2019), we can track back 37 million dollars to our social impact with farmers, artisans, field operations, workshops, and equipment, with no multiplier effect. How do we know that a community is doing better? You have to ask the question directly. We use cell phone SMS technology. It’s truly amazing how many women own phones they can text on in these remote locations. We had an MOU with Grameen Foundation to use the ‘out of poverty’ index (Poverty Probability Index (PPI®) which was 12 to 14 questions depending on the region. We can scan that information, and it helped us immensely in surveying and documenting our impact. Results of this anonymous cell phone survey indicated that the vast majority of Indigenous Design’s artisans fell above Peru’s (fairly high)

Figure 5.11  Cell phone technology was used to survey Indigenous Designs artisans. Image courtesy of Indigenous Designs.

INDIGENOUS DESIGNS

135

national poverty line (Figure 5.11). Eighty-nine percent of those surveyed stated that their lives had improved since beginning employment with Indigenous Designs; yet 8 percent of those surveyed still had a high likelihood of poverty. Whereas these statistics were useful and encouraging, they did not give a full picture of Indigenous Design’s social impact. Wanting to measure the real on-the-ground impact of fair trade, Scott and his production manager, James Roberts, embarked on a journey that led through the expanse of urban settlements surrounding Lima, to Peru’s remote southern highlands. By enlisting the help of social documentarians at Human Pictures (Human Pictures 2020) and photographer Juan Carlos Castañeda (Castañeda 2020), the team captured the real lives of Indigenous Design’s artisans through photography, video, and interviews. One interview in particular, that of Eva Arivilca, a strong, stoic, and charismatic woman from the Peruvian Highlands, reminded everyone why they made the journey and why they strive to promote fair trade (Figure 5.12). Having long ago taught herself to knit using dried reeds as knitting needles, Eva now runs an artisan knitting group consisting of fifteen other women. Interviewed as they sat together expertly crafting sweaters, Eva was asked what she would tell people in the states buying fair trade clothing. Radiating Figure 5.12  Eva Arivilca, who taught herself to knit pride for her work and with dried reeds, now leads an artisan knitting group. accomplishments, Eva stated Image by Juan Carlos Castañeda. that she wanted everyone to know that each piece of clothing was made with people’s hands, with the utmost love and care. “My work with Indigenous has given me the possibility of being able to earn my own money. With my own money I make I can contribute to the improvement of my family, which is incredible.” Communicating the impact of Indigenous Designs to the consumer was the next step. In 2010, RSF Social Finance provided Indigenous Designs with a program-related investment loan to create standards and procedures

136

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

for developing a traceability tool for fair trade apparel. The Fair Trace Tool (Figure 5.13) allows shoppers to scan a hang tag QR code to find out where the garment originated, who made it, the fibers used, and the social impact of the product. Scott and Matt were very excited about this tool, hoping that by educating people on Figure 5.13  The Fair Trace Tool allows consumers to scan how clothing can be a QR code to access information about the product’s origins. made more responsibly, those same people Image courtesy of Leslie Burns. would take a closer look when choosing which companies to shop with. And although they remain proud of the work behind the Fair Trace Tool, Matt says, I can’t say it has affected our brand externally. Scott and I hoped more consumers would have been interested in scanning the QR code to meet the artisans while shopping than has happened. We also hoped more apparel companies would have expressed interest in taking us up on our offer to share the Fair Trace Tool. That said, we have had interplay and interest from a few companies in the natural food industry.

Next Steps: Scaling an Artisan Ownership Model The word indigenous means someone who is originating from a specific place, and honoring the cultural identity of the community is imperative. Indigenous Designs originated from the mountains of Ecuador and Peru with a mission to honor and elevate the work of artisan communities. Honoring the place and the name they chose for their business, Indigenous Designs, is paramount for Scott and Matt. For them, honoring culture and place by working with people who have been doing these skills for thousands of years is a daily meditation that is both powerful and humbling. However, their work with the artisans is a huge part of the fuel that allows them

INDIGENOUS DESIGNS

137

to navigate through the many social and business challenges. The artisans are talented but live in extreme conditions. Seeing the place reinforces the importance of bringing that sense of place to the product and to the market. In the early years, Scott and Matt found themselves bridging the gap between “Western” buyers and the artisans, pairing the artisans’ skills with modern designs. The first commercial buyers were those who appreciated hand knitting and shared a passion for the outdoors. From locations high in the Andes Mountains, logistics was a challenge, not only in making the product and getting it to market, but also in establishing processes to pay the artisans. Success was based on being reliable, honorable, and building relationships. Scott and Matt learned that these were reciprocal relationships with education going both ways. Scott, Matt, and the artisans are all entrepreneurs embracing the opportunity to work together and lift each other up. They were teaching about quality expectations in the market, but were receiving incredible knowledge about customs and a natural way of being that honored the earth. This wisdom around regenerative and restorative living has led to humility and respect for the artisans in the field. Scott and Matt express pride in where they have come. “We are proud to say that we now hang next to mainstream, high-end fashion brands in stores across the country like Bloomingdales and Neiman Marcus, and we were able to do that without sacrificing values,” says Matt. “The other thing is that even though we still are a small business, we’ve put over US$20 million into the artisan and organic supply chain, and that has really affected lives.” With this foundation, the next steps for Indigenous Designs are to further enhance the reciprocal relationships with indigenous communities. Scott and Matt share a vision to create a supply side artisan ownership model where artisans move beyond their role as contract laborers, a model they believe would benefit everyone. They are looking at ownership models in the food industry and convening experts, being patient, mindful, and intentional in the process. Matt says, “We don’t want to rush into this, as it would be a legacy move, and we want to be sure the farmers and artisans really benefit.” They know that they must protect both the flow of production developed up to now and the legacy of their brand. Scott and Matt also want to expand and scale the model they have created in South America with other indigenous groups around the world. They believe now is a time of receptivity to indigenous people wanting to share their knowledge, bridging the gap of this knowledge with developed Western culture consumers around the world. They believe the time is right for all of us to learn from each other. Scott and Matt know that supply chain transparency will become more important for fashion brand companies such as Indigenous Designs. Although they have been disappointed in the lack of interest by other fashion brands in the Fair Trace Tool, they plan to build out the next version—Fair Trace 2.0—and are working on the potential of integrating block chain technology into the tool, bringing credibility and reliability to supply chain transparency. “We’re super passionate about paradigm shift,” says Matt.

138

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

We’re aligning great minds in this journey and block chain could actually unlock financial capital for this work. We’re Passionistas! We’ll build a customer loyalty program with an option to donate the discounts in the loyalty program to artisans. It’s more than conceivable, that you could get a payment (tip) to the person who made the sweater you’re buying. And consumers could fund the actual projects like well water. We’re working to build these direct links. Being nimble and quick with our own direct sales we can control the narrative and make this shift. We can build a relationship online with a customer, building a local community, bringing further credibility. As with others, we are seeing an increase in the concern about where it came from. Scott and Matt note the wave of positive consumption practices for consumer products, in general, and specifically for apparel. Many consumers are prioritizing the purchasing of products that are of high quality, are made with environmentally responsible materials, and will be worn/used longer. Extending the life of products through the purchasing of secondhand or upcycled products is also increasing (Burns 2019). In addition, more consumers are mending and altering apparel to extend the life of the product. Scott and Matt effectively weave together strategies around considering the end-of-life of the product when it is being designed with educating the consumer about environmental and social sustainability; creating and producing apparel products that are hand-made, meant to last, and passed on to others. For example, their Essentials line focuses on basics and capsule wardrobe pieces at affordable prices points. As they look towards the future, Scott adds, “No matter where we go, or where we do business, the earth and the artisans will be honored.” Matt shares, “My co-founder Scott and I believe in the simple idea that when people go to work, they should not have to leave their hearts at home. We believe in that idea for ourselves, our artisans, our retail partners and everyone else who walks with us on our chosen path. For us, that path was clear decades ago.” It’s been a journey up the mountain for Scott and Matt, but they say if they knew what they know now, they would do it all again. It’s the right thing to do.

References and Resources B Lab (2020). About B Corps. https://bcorporation.net/about-b-corps. Accessed March 24, 2020. Buchanan, Leigh (2012, November 16). High Fashion with Native Roots. Inc.com. https://www.inc.com/leigh-buchanan/indigenous-scott-leonard-supply-chain. html Burns, Leslie Davis (2019). Sustainability and Social Change in Fashion. New York: Fairchild Books/Bloomsbury Publishing.

INDIGENOUS DESIGNS

139

Castañeda, Juan Carlos (2020). Work. Indigenous Designs. https://castersonic. com/#/798817030644/. Accessed March 24, 2020. Fair Trade USA (2020). Why Fair Trade. https://www.fairtradecertified.org/whyfair-trade. Accessed March 24, 2020. Fang, Wes (2018, April 19). Podcast. Sustainability and Building an Ethical Fashion Brand—Matt Reynolds and Scott Leonard. The EnTRUEpreneurship. https:// www.entruepreneurship.com/news/2018/4/18/matt-reynolds-scott-leonardindigenous Fashion for Good (2020). About Us. https://fashionforgood.com/about-us/. Accessed March 24, 2020. Goldberg, Gail (2018, April 19). Global Fair Trade Brand Indigenous Puts Down Roots in Petaluma. San Francisco Chronicle. https://www.sfchronicle.com/style/ article/Global-fair-trade-brand-Indigenous-puts-down-12849424.php Green America (2020). Our Mission. https://www.greenamerica.org/our-mission. Accessed March 24, 2020. Human Pictures (2020). Home. http://humanpictures.me/. Accessed March 24, 2020. Indigenous Designs (2017). Indigenous Design Impact Report 2017. https:// cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2445/7085/files/Indigenous_Designs_Impact_ Report_2017_2_96ppi_dec17.pdf Left Brain/Right Brain Productions, LLC (2013). Feel-Good Fashion: Stretching the Limits of Socially Conscious Business. Inc.com https://www.inc.com/malachileopold/scottleonard-and-matt-reynolds-treplife-indigenous.html Leonard, Scott (2019, June 13). Personal Interview. McCoy, Jillian (2012, September 19). Indigenous Sets Out to Remake the Apparel Industry. RSF: Social Finance. https://rsfsocialfinance.org/2012/09/19/ indigenous/ Ogden Publications (2012, December 4). The Story Behind Indigenous and Its Organic, Fair-trade Fashion. Utne Reader. https://www.utne.com/environment/ the-story-behind-indigenous-and-its-organic-fair-trade-fashion Reynolds, Matthew (2019, June 13). Personal Interview. Rocha, Jan and Jonathan Watts (2013, December 20). Brazil Salutes Chico Mendes 25 Years after His Murder. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/ world/2013/dec/20/brazil-salutes-chico-mendes-25-years-after-murder. Accessed March 23, 2020. Root Capital (2020). About Us. https://rootcapital.org/about-us/. Accessed March 22, 2020. RSF Social Finance (2020). How We Work. https://rsfsocialfinance.org/our-story/ how-we-work/. Accessed March 24, 2020. Social Venture Circle. History. https://svcimpact.org/about/history/. Accessed March 24, 2020. The Global Commute (2015, November 18). Artisans of Peru Change the World of Fashion—Featuring Social Entrepreneur Matt Reynolds at Indigenous. http:// globalcommute.com/artisans-of-peru-change-the-world-of-fashion/ Vreseis Limited (2020). The Color Is Alive. https://www.vreseis.com/ridiculuslorem. Accessed March 23, 2020.

6 Harris Tweed®: Às an ghearann tha an t-aodach a’ tighinn ‫׀‬ From the Land Comes the Cloth

Clò Mòr Harris Tweed® reflects the value of place like no other textile story. Unlike the other companies discussed in this book, Harris Tweed is not the brainchild and creation of one or two visionaries whose values are inherently reflected in their supply chains. Instead, Harris Tweed is an industry and brand born of the place itself with historical, geographical, economical, and social connections to the remote islands of the Outer Hebrides, an archipelago northwest of mainland Scotland. Within a thriving Gaelic culture, Harris Tweed is at the very heart of this island community. Into the timeless tweeds are woven the history and culture of crofting and wool production, weavers’ vivid interpretations of the natural surroundings, and the self-reliance of the islanders themselves. Protection is an essential aspect of the provenance of Harris Tweed, the Big Cloth (Clò Mòr in Gaelic). The Outer Hebrides are characterized by harsh conditions along with spectacular scenery and beauty. The contrasting habitats are home to a rich diversity of plant, animal, and marine life—the rugged hills against vast moorlands, the Atlantic sea crashing dramatic cliffs (Figure 6.1), and shell sand beaches framed with machair. In parallel with the islands’ raw beauty, protection from the fierce Atlantic winds and storms is necessary. And nature in her timeless way provides that protection—rock shelters (black houses), peat for warmth, and sheep for all they provide humankind with their meat, wool, and hides. The tweeds’ ability to shelter and protect has powerful meaning to the self-sufficient people and communities

HARRIS TWEED ®

141

Figure 6.1  The dramatic cliffs of the Butt of Lewis, Outer Hebrides. All images in this chapter courtesy of Leslie Burns unless noted otherwise.

of the islands. The weaving of the cloth also provides economic, aesthetic, and cultural protection for the island community. Finally, the Harris Tweed Association and a subsequent Act of Parliament creating the Harris Tweed Authority formally protect the provenance of Harris Tweed and its place in the Outer Hebrides. Although the term terroir is typically used in reference to wine and other agricultural food products, a genuine terroir in the cloth originates from these remote islands. Because Harris Tweed’s history, identity, processes, and colors are centrally focused on its location, terroir of this tweed speaks clearly and authentically—From the Land Comes the Cloth or in Gaelic, Às an ghearann tha an t-aodach a’ tighinn.

History of the Harris Tweed Industry The history of the Harris Tweed industry is a direct outcome of the geography of the Outer Hebrides and the way of life of the people who live there (see Hunter 2001 for a complete history of Harris Tweed from 1855 to 1995). Early islanders coexisted with nature, eking out a subsistence living through bountiful fish from the sea; land providing potatoes, oats

142

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

and barley; peat cut for fuel; and common grazing areas for sheep and cattle. By the late seventeenth century, the islanders lived in traditional black houses, built and maintained with local materials and constructed to survive the harsh environment of the Outer Hebrides (Figure 6.2). Walls were thick, usually double layers of stone with earth packed between. They were roofed with wooden rafters covered with thatch of turf and straw and intricately roped to withstand strong Atlantic winds. The floor was flagstone or packed earth with a central hearth for the fire. These black houses were designed to accommodate both people and livestock, who entered through the same doorway but lived on opposite ends of the building, a partition separating the areas. Within these black houses, islanders carded, handspun, dyed, and wove cloth from their sheep’s wool. From the beginning, weavers were inspired by their surroundings both in the colors of nature and in the materials available to dye the wool. As they worked, they sang songs in Gaelic, the ancient and first language of the islands. Eventually this subsistence economy changed and the need for hard currency increased. The infamous highland potato famine, beginning in 1846 and lasting about ten years, caused the island economy to struggle. Increasing debt for island owners and increasing poverty of the island tenants drove change in the ownership of the islands. Historically, land had

Figure 6.2 The black houses protected the crofter-weavers from the harsh environment of the Outer Hebrides.

HARRIS TWEED ®

143

been handed down through families, but by the mid-1850s land was being sold to wealthy people on the mainland where it was fashionable to own estates on the outer islands. The owners of the islands began leasing small acreages, called crofts, to tenants for raising livestock and produce. As the First Industrial Revolution increasingly influenced their lives, the crofters found ways to earn cash needed to pay rents on their crofts. The sea provided income from fishing and gathering kelp, and the land provided income from harvesting peat and selling livestock and produce. Their woven tweeds or plaids were sold as well, but only locally. The woven wool cloth made by the crofter-weavers was known for its high quality. As the story goes (Hunter 2001, Kenneth Mackenzie Ltd 2020), in 1844 a poor crofter on the Island of Harris, named Norman Macleod, traveled to Stornoway—“a busy herring port on the neighboring Isle of Lewis”—and then by boat to mainland Scotland. The reason of his journey was to show his daughters’ woven tweed to Lady Catherine Murray, the Countess of Dunmore, whose family owned the Island of Harris. Lady Dunmore was so impressed by the beautiful tweed that she traveled to the Island of Harris to meet Norman’s daughters, Christine and Marion. Lady Dunmore, widow of Alexander Murray the 6th Earl of Dunmore, first chose to have the Harris weavers replicate the Murray clan tartan. She then introduced these fabrics to her circle of friends who wanted similar tweeds and eventually began promoting them more widely (Harris Tweed Authority 2020a). As the demand for the fabrics (referred to as Harris Tweeds) grew, weavers from Lewis and other islands in the Outer Hebrides began contributing to their production. The Harris Tweed industry had begun. Favored by Scottish and London tailors and merchants for their quality, cultural value, and handcrafted heritage, demand for Harris Tweeds was well established by the 1880s. All steps were being accomplished by hand— washing and dyeing the wool, carding and spinning yarns, and weaving and finishing fabrics. But by the early 1900s, as Harris Tweed’s popularity grew, mills on mainland Scotland were creating millspun yarns. The use of handspun versus millspun yarns became a huge controversy. One concern was whether the millspun yarns that Harris Tweed weavers received from mainland Scotland were made with the wool they had provided to the mills. Questions even arose if the yarn was made with 100 percent wool. In an effort to support increased production by acknowledging the necessity of millspun yarn, prevent carding and spinning processes from going to mainland Scotland, and protect the integrity of the yarn, two mills were established on the Isle of Lewis. The establishment of the mills resulted in two types of Harris Tweed cloth and two industry factions—tweeds woven with millspun yarns and tweeds woven with handspun yarns. As the Harris Tweed industry moved beyond a small cottage industry, imitators, poorly woven tweed, and tweed made with fibers other than wool threatened the reputation of genuine high-quality Harris Tweed. Respect for Harris Tweed by London merchants began to wane as

144

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

counterfeit merchandise became available. In fact, some merchants selling Harris Tweeds required weavers to sign a declaration that guaranteed their tweed was an entirely handspun, handwoven, and home-dyed Harris Tweed. The price of tweeds fell, including the price paid for tweeds made entirely with handspun yarn. The time had come to define Harris Tweed and take steps to protect the name and reputation of Harris Tweed cloth. In fact, “much of the history of the industry throughout the twentieth century is concerned with the battle to safeguard those attributes of Harris Tweed as it took its place in an increasingly competitive textile market” (Hunter 2001, p. 24). In 1906 islanders involved in the production of Harris Tweed met in Stornoway to discuss introduction of a system to standardize and certify Harris Tweed cloth, one that would give confidence to both the trade and the public. In 1909, the Harris Tweed Association Limited was Figure 6.3 Today’s Harris Tweed® registered formed with goals to find trademark. Courtesy of Harris Tweed Authority. markets for handwoven Harris Tweed cloth, improve the quality of the tweeds by providing instruction, and gain a fair price for the labor involved in making the cloth. A trademark, the Orb and Maltese Cross with the words Harris Tweed underneath, was officially registered in 1910 and stamping the cloth with the trademark began in 1911. Today’s stylized logo has retained these design elements (Figure 6.3). Controversies continued around the use of millspun yarns, handspun yarns, mainland spun yarns, and quality standards. Carding wool by hand was the most time-consuming part of the whole process from wool to tweed. As long as carding the wool by hand remained a requirement, severe limitations existed as to the volume of tweeds that could be produced. Using millspun yarns could speed up production, but the practice was condemned by weavers who preferred to use only handspun yarns. As a compromise, in 1934 the definition of Harris Tweed was altered. The use of island millspun yarn was now permitted under the trademark, allowing for growth in the amount of yardage produced. The definition also specified that only “pure virgin Scottish wool” could be used, further

HARRIS TWEED ®

145

protecting the crofter-weavers of the islands and their wool industry. As high-quality millspun yarn became the norm and tweeds made with handspun yarn did not garner higher prices, the use of handspun yarn eventually died out. After the Second World War, the Harris Tweed industry grew and became increasingly important to the economy of the Outer Hebrides. Over the next twenty years, additional mills were built on the islands to accommodate the increasing volume of yarn needed. However, the Harris Tweed industry continued to face both internal and external challenges. Weavers throughout the islands wanted better and more equitable distribution of tweeds, not just those weavers close to the mills in Stornoway. In addition, tensions arose between weavers and mills over uncertainty of their yarn supply and the high price of yarn charged by the mills to the independent weavers. Whereas mill workers had benefits including holiday pay, unemployment, pension plans, and accident or injury benefits, weavers were self-employed and had no benefits except their independence and freedom to work around the demands of crofting. Ultimately, weavers preferred their self-employed status and remain self-employed today. Externally, producers of tweeds on mainland Scotland continued their efforts to acquire legal use of the Harris Tweed name and trademark. The battle culminated in a 1964 court case ruling that Harris Tweed must be made entirely in the Outer Hebrides (“Argyllshire Weavers Ltd.” 1964). At its peak in 1967, 7.6 million yards of Harris Tweed fabric were produced. Since then, the Harris Tweed industry has experienced cyclical highs and lows, affected by global markets and trends. In the early 1990s, the industry made significant changes in an effort to modernize. Industry leaders introduced a double-width loom, retrained weavers, raised their quality standards, and marketed a new version of their traditional cloth— one that was wider, softer, and lighter in weight. Through all of the battles and challenges, Harris Tweed survived to become a celebrated fabric staple in the world of fashion. Used by high fashion designers and worn by royalty and Hollywood icons, Harris Tweed conveys a timelessness and authenticity seldom seen in the world of fashion. With renewed appreciation of its handcrafted artisanal quality, Harris Tweed is experiencing a cultural revival. Today being part of the Harris Tweed industry is viewed as a “career of choice” by new generations of weavers and mill workers in the Outer Hebrides.

Harris Tweed Act 1993 and the Harris Tweed Authority In 1993, the Harris Tweed Act of Parliament was passed, making the definition of Harris Tweed statutory and securing the Outer Hebrides as its only origin. As Lorna Macaulay (2019), CEO of Harris Tweed Authority,

146

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

explains, “Whereas the Act is a lengthy legal document, it boils down to four key points: (1) Harris Tweed must be handwoven at the home of a certified/registered Harris Tweed weaver, (2) it must be made of 100 percent pure new wool, most of which is grown in Scotland, (3) the yarn used must be entirely made in these islands, and (4) the finishing process of the tweeds must also be done in the islands.” For the people of the Outer Hebrides, the standards outlined in the Harris Tweed Act are not restrictions but assets. As noted by Brian Wilson, Chairman of Harris Tweed Hebrides (quoted in Sartorial Talks 2018), “The rules that govern Harris Tweed facilitate the preservation and protect the authenticity of a cultural heritage. Rather than obstacles, they enhance the quality of product and economics of the island community. Because it is theirs, the people put their hearts and souls into the cloth.” With the passing of the Harris Tweed Act 1993, the Harris Tweed Association was renamed the Harris Tweed Authority (HTA) along with the statutory public authority to promote and maintain the authenticity, standards, and certification of Harris Tweed, including the sole authority to inspect and stamp Harris Tweed cloth. Lorna Macaulay talks about their role: “When there was a need to formalize the trademark into something that had more teeth in it and to protect what these islands had built and held so dear, the Harris Tweed Authority was formed. Our role is to protect and promote this industry.” When a tweed is stamped with the Orb trademark, it means more than just a standard; it’s a certification. Kristina Macleod (2019), Office Manager for the HTA and Story Room, also speaks to this role of the HTA: “As the brand regulator, the HTA does not manufacture the cloth or any of the items made from it, but we support those who do. We are also the final stage in the production process, whereby our application of the Orb Certification Mark on the cloth at the mills makes the cloth officially Harris Tweed. At no point up to that stage can it be called Harris Tweed—only when the Orb is applied to it by the HTA.” And although HTA is not involved in processing or manufacturing Harris Tweed, HTA requires “all users of Harris Tweed® cloth - mills, weavers, manufacturers, makers and retailers place a level of pride and quality in the design, cut, sewing and marketing of all Harris Tweed® goods entering the wholesale or retail supply chain” (Harris Tweed Authority 2020b). In addition to certifying Harris Tweed fabric and protecting the Harris Tweed brand, HTA also acts as an intermediary among the sectors of the Harris Tweed supply chain, providing training opportunities and registering weavers, directing clients to mills or to independent weavers for procuring Harris Tweed, and building relationships with designers and merchants. The Outer Hebrides is one of those rare places where a textile industry drives tourism and economic activity. Therefore, HTA is also engaged in promoting Harris Tweed through media connections and tourism with the HTA Story Room attracting visitors from around the world.

HARRIS TWEED ®

147

But HTA has a loftier role than quality assurance, brand certification and protection, and supply chain connections. Lorna Macaulay explains, “Harris Tweed is a brand, but for the people of these islands, it is a great deal more than an industry, a job, or a cloth. It is part of their heritage and culture. The HTA has a huge responsibility to hold that and keep it safe for future generations. We also have a role to tell the generic story of this beautiful industry in this faraway place. The cloth known as Harris Tweed represents and is evidence of life in the Outer Hebrides. It defines place. Harris Tweed is the Outer Hebrides. The collaborative interconnected relationship among HTA, the mills and the weavers and their association, is absolutely critical to the success of Harris Tweed.” HTA is funded through small fees paid for each meter of tweed certified: currently 28 pence (35 cents USD) per single tweed and 56 pence (70 cents USD) per double tweed. Lorna smiles, “It always amuses me that people think HTA is a large and austere organization. We take calls from big global brands, and they ask to speak with all these departments, when really, we are just a few people with a volunteer board; it’s part of our charm. We have statutory legal powers, but we are a small office looking after something that is so very important.”

Structure and Supply Chain of Harris Tweed The process of transforming wool to fabric to finished Harris Tweed products follows steps similar to other wool products around the world. However, the supply chain for Harris Tweed reflects the rules of the Act of Parliament and the coordinated relationships of the wool growers, mills, self-employed weavers, and the Harris Tweed Authority. Unique characteristics of the Harris Tweed supply chain include: ●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

crofting and wool production of 100 percent Scottish/UK wool textile mills that process the fibers, spin the yarns, and finish the cloth must be in the Outer Hebrides weavers must be registered by HTA, located in the Outer Hebrides, obtain yarns from the mills, and hand-weave the cloth at their homes HTA must inspect and certify all fabric with the Harris Tweed brand designers and manufacturers of finished products using Harris Tweed fabric must follow rules and standards for using and labeling the Harris Tweed brand

148

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Crofting and Wool Production In the Outer Hebrides, crofting and wool production go hand-in-hand (Figure 6.4). Lorna Macaulay explains, The wool is everything. What has kept us going on these islands is crofting and the land. The majority of wool in Harris Tweeds today is Scottish Cheviot wool and over 50 percent of the Harris Tweed weavers continue to raise sheep. The island communities work together to round up and shear the local sheep and then wool shorn from sheep on the mainland of Scotland is added to it. The Act of Parliament previously stated that Harris Tweed had to be 100 percent Scottish wool but there is no longer enough wool in all of Scotland for our production. Therefore, 95 percent of the wool used today in Harris Tweed is of Scottish or UK origin. Besides the origin of the wool, Harris Tweed must be made from virgin wool, which means the wool has never been previously used or woven.

Figure 6.4 Scottish Cheviot sheep dot the countryside of the Outer Hebrides. Image courtesy of Harris Tweed Authority.

HARRIS TWEED ®

149

Processing Wool: The Foundation of Harris Tweed Originally, crofter-weavers washed the wool in soft peat water and then dyed the wool using local plants and moss scraped from the rocks before the wool was hand-carded and handspun to yarn. The islanders became known for blending dyed wools into rich composite colors that reflected the landscape—blues of the sea and sky, greens of the lush grasslands, lavenders and grays of the natural rock gardens, and browns of the hills and peat. Though mills have taken over the washing and dyeing of wool and spinning of yarns, processing Harris Tweed is still artisanal. The mills are home to highly skilled craftspeople who perform specialized tasks in taking raw wool to beautifully blended yarns that are the basis for Harris Tweed fabrics. For many of those who work in the mills, their families have been part of the industry for multiple generations. And although weaving is perhaps the most celebrated step in the whole process, the special beauty in these fabrics begins at the mills in the design, dyeing, blending, carding, and spinning the yarns.

Harris Tweed Mills Today, three commercially separate mills operate on the Isle of Lewis, engaging in the following wool processing steps: ●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

washing, dyeing, blending, carding, and spinning the wool creating textile designs creating warp beams for distribution to mill-associated weavers selling spun yarns to independent weavers finishing woven fabric inspecting and darning the finished fabric working with HTA in certifying the fabrics as Harris Tweed distributing Harris Tweed fabrics to customers and providing customer service support

Harris Tweed Hebrides (HTH, Shawbost, Isle of Lewis) is the largest producer of Harris Tweed with over 60 percent of the current production. HTH offers multiple weight fabrics, with hundreds of patterns and an archive of more than 150 blended yarn colors. Their success has been driven by their commitment to updating their fabric collections seasonally and having stock fabrics in multiple weights. Kenneth Mackenzie Ltd (Stornoway, Isle of Lewis), in operation since 1906, is the oldest mill producing Harris Tweed. With approximately over

150

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

30 percent of the Harris Tweed production, the mill produces one size yarn and one weight of cloth, keeping more than seventeen yarn colors in stock for blending to make thirteen stock fabrics. One of the unique aspects of this mill is the fact that in addition to processing wool, working with weavers, and finishing fabrics, they also manufacture Harris Tweed jackets from their fabrics, making them the only completely vertical Harris Tweed company. The Carloway Mill Harris Tweed Ltd. (Carloway, Isle of Lewis) is the smallest of the three mills. It uses traditional and heritage machines, dating back to 1892, to produce unique and high-quality Harris Tweed fabrics. Carloway produces both stock double-width fabrics and singlewidth tweeds, specializing in offering services to smaller-scale independent weavers, bespoke customers, and estate tweeds.

Washing and Dyeing Wool At all three mills, the wool fibers are washed and then either left natural or dyed into dozens of colors prior to being spun into yarns. Fiber dying of wool is a hallmark of Harris Tweed. Today, because the vegetation is protected,

Figure 6.5  Blending wool fibers to create richly colored yarns.

HARRIS TWEED ®

151

natural dyes are no longer used. However, natural materials are still the reference points for the colors, matching the traditional natural materials and colors with modern dyeing processes using low-impact volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and biodegradable and non-toxic dyes.

Blending, Carding, and Spinning Wool Once the wool is dyed, the next step is blending the wool fibers (Figure 6.5). Blending the dyed wool fibers starts with the textile designer creating a color “recipe” with the exact percentages (by weight) of between two and eight colors of dyed wool that are then teased and carded to thoroughly mix and align the colored fibers. The carding processes create long thin fragile slivers of roving that are fed onto the spinning frame where a mechanical twist is applied, adding the strength needed for weaving. As the yarn comes off the frame, it is wound onto bobbins (Figure 6.6). The mill workers who perform the dyeing and weighing processes and who operate the teasing, blending, carding, and spinning machines are highly skilled in each role, producing the consistent and precise colors and high-quality yarns that are the basis for finished Harris Tweed cloth.

Figure 6.6  Yarns are spun to add strength necessary for the weaving process.

152

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Preparing the Warp The next step is preparing the warp for the handweavers. Warping is necessary for weaving, a method of fabric production whereby two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles. The longitudinal or vertical yarns are called the warp and the horizontal yarns are the weft or filling. Preparing the warp is the parallel winding of yarn from the bobbins or cones onto a warp beam (Figure 6.7). The warper follows the weaving card engineered for each specific Harris Tweed design; aligning more than 1,400 individual warp threads, each one the exact color and in the exact order designated on the designer’s weaving card. This same weaving card will be provided to the weaver (Figure 6.8). Each piece averages 50 meters in length. A mill may warp several pieces onto one steel beam, the maximum being six pieces or 300 meters.

Textile Design Designing Harris Tweed fabric artistically combines color, pattern, and weave. The rich colors that mimic the landscape of the Outer Hebrides are

Figure 6.7  Warp beams.

HARRIS TWEED ®

153

Figure 6.8  Warp beam with the weaving card ready to be sent to the weaver.

an authentic part of their provenance of Harris Tweed (Figure 6.9). Mark Hogarth, Creative Director of Harris Tweed Hebrides, explains how the Hebridean landscape influences color and design (as quoted in Jones 2015): Every single Harris Tweed colour is borne out of the flora and fauna living on and surrounding the islands. The black colours reflect the deep coloured rocks prevalent on the west coast, whites are reflected in the sandy beaches made from finely crushed shells; and the core colour palette of greens and browns are found in the heather and moorland, with reds from the lichens growing on rocks, and blues reflecting the aquamarine and azure shallow bays and sea. A further range of colours are found in the unique dune and grassland landscape, known in Gaelic as machair, which are rare meadow habitats only found in the western coasts off Scotland and Ireland. Wild flowers come alive amongst the grasses in the summer months creating an abundance of blooms, with yellows and citrus colours dominating at first, then giving way to reds, whites and blues as the summer progresses. The fashion world reacts very strongly to our colour palette inspired by these natural colours. Margaret Rowan, independent weaver and owner of Adabrock Weaving Company, comments on the importance of color in her tweeds:

154

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Figure 6.9 a) The natural colors of the Outer Hebrides are b) authentically reflected in Harris Tweed. a: Photograph taken by Lewis Mackenzie. © Harris Tweed Authority b: Photograph taken by Jane Macmillan.

What I feel about this place is in my weaving. When I look out the window of my loom shed all the colors I use are out there (Figure 6.10). The design of my Harris Tweed is usually a horizontal stripe as I only see horizontal bands of sky, sea, and land. Even the reflection of the sky on the water is visible as bands of horizontal stripes of light and dark. The yarn I use for my warps contain a mixture of greys from cream to

HARRIS TWEED ®

155

Figure 6.10  Looking out the window of Margaret Rowan’s loom shed.

Figure 6.11  Margaret Rowan’s woven tweed reflects the colors, lines, and moods of the natural environment.

156

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

dark grey, this creates light and shade and movement in the cloth as the colours in the weft are not solid, they constantly change as does the light outside the loom shed. In addition, the moisture in the atmosphere also changes constantly, in the form of clouds, rain, mist. These change the colour and light, the grey warp reflects this beautifully and also creates a collection of tweeds that all coordinate well together (Figure 6.11). Joanne Owens, independent weaver and owner of Urgha Loom Shed, reflects on the role that the environment of the Outer Hebrides plays in her textile design process: Aboard a ferry bound for Hebridean shores, I saw the high hills of Harris rise up from seas of the Minch, the raw beauty of this place slowly revealing itself as I drew closer. As my journey continued, Harris gave up her secrets with every new corner turned, demanding more of my attention and time. With patience I witnessed the passing of seasons, each one rewarding me with changes in light, as weather worked upon the land, sea and sky surrounding me. While the ancient landscape here may remain unmoving, the subtlety of colour and texture ebbs and flows as the year goes by. This conflict grounds my work but also prompts me to question and explore the necessity and practicality of my creations. I appreciate more than ever the inspiration nature brings (Figure 6.12).

Figure 6.12  Joanne Owens’ inspirations for her weaving.

HARRIS TWEED ®

157

Weaving Harris Tweed To be certified as Harris Tweed, the cloth must be woven at the home of the weaver located in the Outer Hebrides. Originally, weavers performed all steps of processing wool, dyeing and hand-spinning yarns, weaving fabrics on manually operated shuttles, and finishing fabrics. Today they focus on the weaving, leaving other processes to the mills. From the historical black houses to the loom sheds of today, these skilled artisans are a crucial part of the Harris Tweed process and have tremendous pride in the tradition of Harris Tweed.

Harris Tweed Weavers Harris Tweed weavers are certified and given a lifetime registration number by the Harris Tweed Authority. They fall into one of two categories: ●●

●●

mill weavers who weave designs created by the textile designers at the mills independent weavers who create their own textile designs

According to the HTA, of the approximately 190 registered Harris Tweed weavers, about 90 percent of weavers are mill weavers and 10 percent are independent weavers. As Lorna Macaulay notes, “We have seen a growth in the number of independent weavers who weave exclusively on single-width looms, mainly because of the physical work involved in beaming the double looms. The independent weavers also serve a particular niche for small bespoke orders because the mills are generally focused on larger orders.” The age profile of weavers reflects a slow shift to older weavers, many past the age of 60, although the industry has seen a resurgence of younger weavers being certified (e.g., one newly registered weaver is 19 years old). About 75 percent of the weavers are men and 25 percent women. Lorna continues, Aside from certifying the cloth and ensuring the Act is followed we never meddle in the work of the weavers. However, we maintain the weaver database and are responsible for the supply of weavers to the mills and registering weavers, allowing them access to the industry. When a weaver retires, an opening for a new weaver is created. We never allow the weaver work force to be too large. We constantly balance mill volumes and the supply-and-demand for weavers. For example, of the 190 registered Harris Tweed weavers, approximately forty of them are now near the end of their careers and prefer to weave only one tweed per week. We understand that. A number of weavers complete two-to-three tweeds per week. Then there are the young and fit weavers who can complete fourto-five tweeds per week.

158

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Lorna explains more about the structure of the weaving sector of the supply chain, “The Act of Parliament is a bit silent on structure. By law, weavers must work from a home or residential address with a maximum of two looms at any single address. The act does not indicate that the weaver must be self-employed, but in practice, that is how it works. Mills build relationships with a core of weavers; Some mill weavers work with one mill, others with all three. Other weavers are independent but all weavers are self-employed.” A Weavers Association negotiates with the mills annually on the price per tweed. Lorna says, “The Weavers Association represents and, in many ways, acts as a union for its members. It is important to have the weaver’s voice around the table when we, as a sector, are discussing and planning industry strategies. All the mills work under the same rate.” Many Harris Tweed weavers have grown up in the weaving tradition, watching and learning from parents or other family members with skills and knowledge passed from generation to generation (Figure 6.13). For example, Donald John Mackay, owner of Luskentyre Harris Tweed Co, has been weaving for almost fifty years on the Isle of Harris. He grew up weaving, learning it from his father, who was also a Harris Tweed weaver. “For us, weaving is part of living; it’s a way of life” (Koddenberg 2013). Other Harris Tweed weavers have relocated to the islands, made the financial investments, and pursued the training necessary to master the skills to be certified. Lorna Macaulay explains, “Anyone who wants to be a Harris Tweed weaver must live here; although they can move here from somewhere

Figure 6.13  Harris Tweed is often woven by generational weavers who learned the craft from family members. Photo: wanderluster/Getty.

HARRIS TWEED ®

159

else and become a weaver. They must have the finances to acquire a loom. A new loom can cost £20,000 and second-hand looms £8,000–£12,000. They also need a mentor to whom they pay a nominal fee for sharing his/her time and skill. Course work is helpful but a mentor is essential.” Independent weaver Margaret Rowan followed this route to become a Harris Tweed weaver. As Margaret tells her story, “Yarn has always been part of my life. At the age of four, I learned to knit from my grandmother and as a child I would take the scraps of yarn and fabric from my mother’s and grandmother’s sewing and make things with them. I was making my own clothes from a very early age and I loved it.” After studying textile design at Camberwell College of Art and a successful career as a well-known textile artist, teacher, and author (e.g., Rowan 2013), Margaret journeyed to the Outer Hebrides to pursue the dream of weaving full time. She continues, A friend sent me a photo of a house for sale in the Outer Hebrides, with a loom in it! People said it was the best loom on the island. It had been well maintained and worked great. I knew how important it was for a loom to run smoothly because there are less interruptions to the weaving that can affect both efficiency and quality. Right before I moved to the Outer Hebrides, my father mentioned that my beloved grandmother had been a silk weaver in Paisley! I wondered if I could have inherited her genes and if she was passing on to me more than knitting skills? Margaret came to the Outer Hebrides with a single purpose—to weave Harris Tweed. The first step was to pass the test and be certified as a Harris Tweed weaver. For three weeks, the man who sold the house and loom to me helped prepare me for the test. He was my mentor. The Shawbost mill [Harris Tweed Hebrides] dropped off a warp beam. I had to tie it in myself and weave a test piece. When I finished the piece, I loaded it into my car and drove it to the mill myself. I wanted to watch the tweed be inspected. This was unusual as the tweeds are usually picked up by the lorries and delivered to the mills. The finishing manager let me watch the inspection, after which he said, “That’s a well woven piece of cloth.” He immediately rang the HTA to say that I had passed the test. I traveled to the HTA that afternoon and they gave me my number! A Harris Tweed weaver number! My number! I was certified. Finally, after 30 years since leaving college, I was off and weaving! Joanne Owens also journeyed to the Outer Hebrides to become a Harris Tweed weaver (Figure 6.14). Originally from Liverpool, England, Joanne tells of her journey to the islands: I studied textiles and graduated from the Manchester Metropolitan University, specializing in weaving. I fell in love with the processes of

160

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Figure 6.14  Independent weaver, Joanne Owens, in her loom shed weaving on her Hattersley Loom.

weaving, but when I inquired about the chance of getting a job as a weaver, I was told, “No such chance!” I did hand-knitting after graduation and was selling my creations in shops. Then I raised a family, and as they got older, I wanted to leave the city to someplace quiet. And I still had the dream of weaving. We visited the islands and I fell in love with this place just as I had fallen in love with weaving. I had the intention of buying a loom and teaching myself to weave Harris Tweed. Instead, I signed up for a training program being offered by the HTA. After completing the program, I demonstrated my skills, weaving to the specifications in the Standards and Quality Assurance protocols. When they evaluated my weaving, I was issued a number and I became a certified Harris Tweed weaver.

The Weaving Process A lorry transports the warp beam from the mill to the home of the weaver along with yarn for the weft and the weaving card for that design. The lorries drive the islands daily, delivering warp beams to the weavers at their homes. Independent weavers create their own textile design and weaving card and typically do their own warping on single-width looms. Because they do not have warping frames like the mills, they set up the yarns on

HARRIS TWEED ®

161

a creel with approximately 24 bobbins or cones and wind them by hand around the wooden stakes of the creel that are about 3 meters apart. This warp now has to be transferred to the back beam of the loom and tied to the ends of the previous warp. Independent weavers weave cloth anywhere from 20 to 50 meters in length. For both mill weavers and independent weavers, setting up the warp is one of the most challenging and critical parts of the weaving process, requiring time, concentration, and strength. The weaver must correctly hand-tie individual warp yarns, checking the pattern and color sequence with the weaving card, and assuring the correct yarn tension. The next step for weavers is winding the weft yarns onto the pirns that will be carried by the shuttle. They are now ready to weave, passing the weft yarns (picks) through the warp (ends), and troubleshooting any problems during the weaving process. On average, weavers can complete approximately 4 meters of cloth per hour and are paid by the meter. All Harris Tweeds are woven on treadle looms; two of their most famous are the traditional single-width (75 cm/28 inches) Hattersley Loom, and the newer double-width (150 cm/59 inches) Griffiths Rapier Loom. Although the double-width looms are far more common today than the singlewidth Hattersley looms, many weavers are purists and will only work on the Hattersley. In addition, handling the warp beams and warping of the double-width looms are physically challenging. In addition to the skills in weaving, the weavers must also be skilled at setting up and maintaining their looms. The loom must function properly for the weaver to keep a smooth and consistent pace. This affects not only efficiency of weaving but also the quality of the cloth. Weavers understand their loom’s unique feel, sound, and idiosyncrasies, coaxing its best performances. Looms have names and even personalities! Being a small segment of the Harris Tweed weavers, independent weavers often overcome obstacles not faced by the mill weavers. As Lorna Macaulay explains, “Since the independent weavers do not work for specific mills, they may have challenges getting colors of yarn they need from the mills. Margaret [Rowan] is a good example of an independent weaver who adapts to that challenge. She is organized and strategic, choosing to work in a finite color palette and always stocks yarns within that range. Other independents are willing to weave with whatever color yarns they can get from the mills.” Margaret Rowan also notes challenges for weaving a range of Harris Tweed fabrics and the availability of yarns, “I am interested in using other weights of yarn, but there has been only one weight up to now. The Shawbost mill [Harris Tweed Hebrides] has begun making additional weights of yarn and I’m excited about that.” Independent weavers are also faced with the challenge of pricing tweeds competitively but also reflecting the real cost of their time and expertise. Independent weavers typically price their tweeds similarly to those woven by mill weavers. However, some are pricing their tweeds higher, reflecting their more complicated designs.

162

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Finishing and Inspecting Harris Tweed

Figure 6.15  Fabric is inspected and repaired by hand.

After both mill and independent weavers have completed the weaving process, the bolts of cloth are rolled and picked up by the lorries to return to the mills for finishing. The bolts are considered to be in a “greasy state” when they arrive at the mill. Each length of fabric is inspected by highly trained workers against a light box, exposing imperfections that, no matter how small, are “darned” and repaired by hand (Figure 6.15). Next the fabric is washed to remove any remaining dirt or oils and then put into a fulling machine where the wet fabric is beaten, stretched, and twisted to soften and condition it (Figure 6.16). This step was originally performed by hand

Figure 6.16  Fabric is machine washed and fulled to soften and condition it.

HARRIS TWEED ®

163

Figure 6.17 Certified Harris Tweed fabric is stamped with the Orb trademark. Photo by Alison Johnston courtesy of Harris Tweed Authority.

with women working together and singing Gaelic waulking songs to help keep rhythm and make this heavy work lighter, at least in spirit. The tweeds are then machine dried, steam pressed, cropped, and brushed. The final step is inspection by the independent Harris Tweed Authority inspector. When the inspector determines the cloth meets all criteria of the standard, the Orb certification mark is ironed onto the reverse side of the fabric, and the tweed is now an authentic Harris Tweed (Figure 6.17).

Marketing Harris Tweed: Power of the Orb Harris Tweed’s marketing efforts focus on the fabrics’ traceability, authenticity, exclusivity, cultural heritage, and quality. The certification process and the power of the Orb for marketing Harris Tweed cannot be underestimated. Lorna Macaulay notes, “Over the past ten years there has been a seismic shift in why consumers want to buy Harris Tweed. It represents something meaningful. It is craft, handmade, and has deep integrity. I go to trade shows around the world where brands that sell products made with Harris Tweed effectively craft a story around its history. We are genuine and forever authentic. The certification of Harris Tweed means something; it’s not just a guideline.”

164

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Marketing Harris Tweed Lorna describes Harris Tweed marketing activities, “I would say about 90 percent of Harris Tweed is marketed by the mills and 10 percent independently (Figure 6.18). Mill management and marketing teams attend major apparel, interiors, and accessories trade shows in Europe and beyond. They work with existing clients and continue to open up new markets as well. Interiors has become a major growth area for Harris Tweed in recent years. Independent weavers work with the mills on orders for global markets and also work independently for private clients on custom and bespoke orders.” Independent weavers typically do their own marketing. Margaret Rowan describes her marketing efforts, “I have a website, and use Facebook and Instagram to connect with people. I also take tweeds to the mainland. Interior designers are very interested in working with independents weavers like me and I believe I can do better in the home textile market than the apparel market. In addition, I am working toward providing both wholesale and retail pricing. The HTA also refers potential customers, both private customers and brands, to independent weavers.”

Figure 6.18  Sample books created to market certified Harris Tweed fabrics from the Kenneth Mackenzie mill.

HARRIS TWEED ®

165

The HTA knows the Harris Tweed story resonates deeply with customers. There’s a reason these craft skills are timeless and preserving them has critical value. Lorna elaborates, “My job at the Harris Tweed Authority is not to sell the products but the story: From the land comes the cloth. I show photos of how Harris Tweed connects with its environment. Customers see the images and they get it.” And whereas not every client can visit the Outer Hebrides, everyone in the Harris Tweed industry agrees that when you actually get potential customers to visit the Outer Hebrides, the power of the experience is the greatest selling tool. The remoteness, the beauty, and the sheep dotting the croft landscape all set the canvas. Seeing the weavers at their homes, pedaling away on heritage looms, embeds the timeless traditions and authenticity of the cloth in a way nothing else can. The Harris Tweed connection becomes as vibrant as the landscape colors it reflects. As a testament to this tradition, the Outer Hebrides (although not a single city) were awarded World Craft City status by the Word Crafts Council as the origins of Harris Tweed and “the only commercially produced hand-woven fabric in the world” (World Craft Council 2020).

Markets for Harris Tweed: Tradition and Evolution The markets for Harris Tweed are diverse and broad. Harris Tweed is exported to more than fifty countries for use by global fashion brands, independent designers, clothing labels large and small, and famous tailors. Harris Tweed fabrics are used in a range of products, including ready-towear apparel and accessories, bespoke suits and couture fashion, and home fashions. Changing global economic factors and currency fluctuations influence markets and sectors, making diversification critically important. At the height of production in the 1970s, the United States was the largest export market for Harris Tweed. Later, Germany became a large market and more recently Japan has become the largest importer. Although Harris Tweed has evolved with changes in fashions and consumer demand, its integrity and quality have not changed. According to Catherine Glover (2019, p. 56), Harris Tweed “has enjoyed a resurgence of interest in alignment with the market’s increasing appetite for authenticity, transparency and traditional quality crafts. Recent collaborations with fashion brands have included Stone Island, Dr Martens, Nike, Rag & Bone, Theory, Patrick Grant of Savile Row and Chanel amongst others, raising the profile of Harris Tweed internationally. Perhaps its most famous collaborator has been Vivienne Westwood who has elevated the Harris Tweed logo equal to her own.” In the last ten years, Harris Tweed has also been able to appeal successfully, to a younger customer as well. Ken Kennedy, the Head of Design for Harris Tweed Hebrides (HTH), notes (as quoted in Sartorial Talks 2018), “Most of HTH cloth is exported around the world; but also has significant growth in the British market. The influence by brands using Harris Tweed, e.g.

166

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Topman, who are aimed at younger, more fashion-conscious consumers is important. These developments helped the industry’s efforts to change perceptions among British retailers that Harris Tweed was principally a cloth for mature men.” Lorna Macaulay (HTA) shares, What we have learned in the last few years is that discerning consumers are wanting to know more of the origins of what they buy. They are willing to pay a premium to have a sense of provenance in that item. The difficulty with apparel is that supply chains are fragmented: a jacket is designed in Italy, the cloth is shipped to China where it is cut and sewn, and then is sold in a store in New York. But today’s consumer comes off the plane and they want to visit the weaver who made the fabric for their tweed jacket. We have to be careful in managing this aspect – how do you honor weavers and lift up their stories yet protect their lives? We’re working with a new supplier in chip technology for our labelling that will help us tell our story by taking you electronically to who wove your cloth.

Using the Harris Tweed Label on Finished Products Suppliers of Harris Tweed provide manufacturers and brands with woven Certification Mark labels or swing tags with the iconic Orb symbol indicating that the finished product is made with authentic Harris Tweed fabric. Identifying the tradename and trademark of materials is unusual in the textile and fashion industries. However, companies that use Harris Tweed want the fabric identified as such. “This fact indicates that the Harris Tweed brand itself is a unique selling point, which endorses the cloth’s association with authenticity, place and heritage within contemporary UK and global markets” (Anderson 2017, p. 163). Rules related to the use of Harris Tweed woven labels and swing tags are provided by the Harris Tweed Authority giving the HTA jurisdiction to enforce the rules (Harris Tweed Authority 2020b). Woven labels are allocated by suppliers based on the amount of cloth purchased and the intended end use of the cloth. Currently, five styles of woven labels (Large Item, General Purpose, Large Accessory, Small Accessory, and Seam labels) are available with rules as to which type of product each style is to be used for and the amount of Harris Tweed cloth used in the product (Figure 6.19). In general, Harris Tweed fabric must be at least three times the surface area of the Harris Tweed® label. In addition, labels are not to be attached to products whereby the fabric is simply used as a design enhancement (e.g. a patch, a pocket, applique) or in any way that might mislead consumers that the product in question is wholly manufactured from Harris Tweed. All woven labels must be sewn onto the end-use products.

HARRIS TWEED ®

167

Figure 6.19 Harris Tweed labels are allocated by suppliers for use on finished products, following rules published by the Harris Tweed Authority.

In an effort to further traceability and transparency, the rules also provide guidelines for including a Maker’s Identification Mark as follows: “All makers of Harris Tweed® products who choose to purchase additional stocks of woven labels from the HTA must apply a personal, permanent mark on their Harris Tweed® products which will identify the maker, manufacturer or originators of the product. It is important to the HTA that the end customer is able, post purchase, to identify the maker or source of the item.”

Protecting the Orb One of the primary roles of the HTA is to protect the authenticity and integrity of the Harris Tweed brand and lawful use of the Harris Tweed trademark and labels at home and in the global marketplace. Lorna Macaulay explains, “The Orb symbol which authenticates Harris Tweed is the oldest British trademark in continuous use. The HTA works around the world to protect the name Harris Tweed and the Orb from unauthorized use.” Protecting the Orb is a complex and often difficult undertaking.

168

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Lorna says, “The HTA holds in trust, the trademark for the people of the Outer Hebrides. We fight battles to assure what is labelled Harris Tweed is genuine and authentic; that it cannot be passed off or counterfeited. This has become a much greater role for the HTA in recent years.” She continues, We have an Act of Parliament, but what people do not understand, is that it only protects us here in the UK, and very little Harris Tweed stays here. Material is shipped all over the world for manufacturing. Therefore, we have to rely on protection through the Trademark ™ process and that can be difficult. Traditionally, Harris Tweed served the apparel sector. But product lines have expanded. Harris Tweed is now used for accessories, home fashions, and a variety of other product categories. We have to register the Harris Tweed trademark everywhere and under all sectors. This can be challenging. For example, in China we owned the trademark registration in the clothing sector; but a rogue owner beat us to the first registration in another category.1 When these first registrations of counterfeit trademarks come up for reregistering, we are able to prove we are the true owner of the Harris Tweed trademark. In 2013 we sued a large retailer for trademark infringements and won. In this case we chose not to take a financial settlement, but instead we received access to their massive mailing list for publicity purposes. We replaced our legal costs with a message to their five million customers. Some trademark challenges are right on our own doorstop. The stereotypical one is cheap Scottish souvenir shops. They will have signs above the door that say, “Harris Tweed sold here”. They use our name, certification, brand, and reputation to get people into their shop when they might have two Harris Tweed caps being sold in the back of the store. In 1987 British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood launched her autumn/winter Harris Tweed collection along with her own Orb trademark, which was very similar to the registered Harris Tweed Orb. Although there was initial confusion, after discussions within the Harris Tweed Association, they allowed Vivienne Westwood to use her Orb mark. Vivienne Westwood was not only a well-known and very visible fashion designer, she was an acknowledged fan of Harris Tweed; and the Harris Tweed Association believed her use of Harris Tweed fabrics and her similar mark were positive, helping revitalize the Harris Tweed industry at that time.

China has a first-to-file trademark registration system whereby trademark registrations are awarded to the first party to file an application with their trademark office. This system allows Chinese individuals to file trademark registrations for the names and logos of Western brands before those non-native brands do (The Fashion Law 2020).

1

HARRIS TWEED ®

169

From the People Comes the Cloth As the Harris Tweed industry has evolved over time not only “From the Land Comes the Cloth” but also “From the People Comes the Cloth.” It is fitting that Lorna Macaulay, CEO of the Harris Tweed Authority, grew up in the Outer Hebrides. Most people leave the islands. Here, it seems, you educate kids and they go off somewhere else to work and make a life. I too had moved, but it just so happened that we moved back to the islands. I was working in economic and work force development, looking after both tourism and the Harris Tweed industry for the Outer Hebrides, and addressing parallel issues of an aging population and young people moving away. By the early 2000s, the work force in the textile industry had become very depleted. The foot was off the proverbial loom pedal, so to speak, and there had been little investment in Harris Tweed for some time. It was an industry in crisis. 2009 was the historic low for Harris Tweed production. It was also a pivotal point for the industry. The two largest mills were under new ownership and different factions were fighting within the industry. However, these conditions created opportunities for new investments. The time seemed right to work on what had been a critically important industry to the islands. My feeling was that we could rekindle the vision and work together for the greater good. Lorna laughs as she continues, My Mom and Dad would never have wished for me to work for Harris Tweed. Harris Tweed was perceived as work for elderly people who could take the peaks and valleys of the work. In the 1960s the weaving work force included up to 1700 weavers. Every home had a loom. No matter what village you went to, you could hear the noise of the looms. But back then the pay for weaving was poor, it was seasonal work, and you got little reward for it. And mill work was perceived as the work of last resort. In addition, there were three mills making the same product, bound by the same standard. These were commercial organizations, at the disposal of a large work force, and in competition with each other. There was a lot of fighting within the industry. A huge change was needed. Lorna goes on, From 2009 to 2015, as a sector, we invested heavily in work force planning. We [HTA] applied for a European Social Fund grant for fragile sectors and were fortunate to get generous government and EU support toward training. Because there were no “off-the-shelf” courses

170

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

for accredited training in the industry, we wrote our own courses and the Standards and Quality Assurance protocols. We also developed the criteria for an accredited weaver, carder, and other positions. The HTA brought a sector approach to the Social Fund application and activities that benefitted all the mills and the entire industry. During this time, an interesting dynamic also happened. The mills became more organized and professional in their work and in work force training. For example, Harris Tweed Hebrides hired a number of elder mill workers as trainers. There is no college course to prepare people for the specialized work in the mills, but these elder mill workers sat in the mill and trained the new people to do the work. They allowed the younger workers to follow them around and learn, passing their knowledge on to a new generation. Lorna notes the changes since then, Today, we have no problem recruiting the best young people. We have demonstrated we can provide a good career. You can work from anywhere on the islands; you can have other commitments and work from where you live. You can stay on the family croft as in the past, keep the flock, and have work in the Harris Tweed industry. Now we have very talented and creative people who could work for anyone or anywhere, who want to work in the Harris Tweed industry. They are staying here with pride and a passion about this industry. We have accomplished more than saving a heritage industry – we have revived it. Harris Tweed is a great deal more than a job for those who work in this industry. In addition to increased employment within the Harris Tweed industry, a ripple effect from the visibility and success of Harris Tweed has been seen in increases in tourism and associated craft industries in the Outer Hebrides. Lorna reflects, “Harris Tweed is our whole culture and it’s an honor and a privilege to be part of it. It may not be perfect but it’s ours. We own it, and damned if we will let it fail.” From its humble origins in the black houses to the loom sheds of today, the terroir of Harris Tweed—Clò Mòr—clearly reflects its provenance, the people, and culture of the Outer Hebrides. From the Land and the People Comes the Cloth.

References and Resources Adabrock Weaving Company (2020). Contemporary Harris Tweed. https://www. adabrockweavingcompany.com/. Accessed July 23, 2020. Anderson, Fiona (2017). Tweed. London: Bloomsbury Academic/Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

HARRIS TWEED ®

171

Argyllshire Weavers Ltd. and Others V. A. Macaulay (Tweeds) Ltd. and Others (1964, December 31). Reports of Patent, Design and Trade Mark Cases, 81(16), 477–591. https://doi.org/10.1093/rpc/81.16.477 Carloway Mill Harris Tweed Ltd (2020). Carloway, Isle of Lewis. https://www. thecarlowaymill.com/. Accessed July 24, 2020. Glover, Catherine (2019). Harris Tweed—the Fabric of a Community. Fashion Craft Revolution, 4, 56–57. Fashion Revolution. http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/ id/eprint/39782/. Accessed July 24, 2020. Harris Tweed Authority (2020a, March 8). Journal: The Countess of Dunmore. https://www.harristweed.org/journal/the-countess-of-dunmore/. Accessed July 16, 2020. Harris Tweed Authority (2020b, January). Harris Tweed Authority Labels Policy and Brand Use Rules Document. https://www.harristweed.org/wp-content/ uploads/HTA_Labels_Policy_Brand_Use_Rules_Document.pdf. Accessed July 15, 2020. Harris Tweed Authority (2020c). The Big Cloth. https://www.harristweed.org/thebig-cloth/. Accessed July 24, 2020. Harris Tweed Hebrides Ltd (2020). Shawbost, Isle of Lewis. https://www. harristweedhebrides.com/. Accessed July 24, 2020. Hunter, Janet (2001). The Islanders and The Orb: The History of the Harris Tweed Industry, 1835-1995. Stornoway, UK: The Harris Tweed Authority. Jones, Gerry (2015, January 15). Harris Tweed: The Big Cloth. Interview with Mark Hogarth, Creative Director of Harris Tweed Hebrides. Merchant and Makers. http://www.merchantandmakers.com/harris-tweed-hebrides/. Accessed August 6, 2020. Kenneth Mackenzie Ltd (2020). About Kenneth Mackenzie. http://www. harristweedfabrics.com/. Accessed July 16, 2020. Koddenberg, Martin (2013, March). Donald John Mackay [video]. http://www. beath.net/Donald_John_Mackay.htm. Accessed July 16, 2020. Macaulay, Lorna (2019, August 29). Personal Interview. Macleod, Kristina (2019, August 26). Personal Interview. Owens, Joanne (2019, August 29). Personal Interview. Rowan, Margaret (2013). Handsewn: The Essential Techniques for Tailoring and Embellishment. Fort Collins, CO: Interweave Press. Rowan, Margaret (2019, August 28). Personal Interview. Sartorial Talks (2018, November 6). The Astonishing Story of Harris Tweed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StD2rtAeuC4. Accessed August 6, 2020. The Fashion Law (2020, May 5). Supreme Adds New Chinese Registration to Its Arsenal amid Crackdown on Counterfeits. https://www.thefashionlaw.com/ supreme-adds-new-chinese-registration-to-its-arsenal-of-trademarks/. Accessed July 15, 2020. Urgha Loom Shed (2020). Home. https://urghaloomshed.com/. Accessed July 23, 2020. Woodard, Richard (2013, January 16). UK: TK Maxx Settles Harris Tweed Legal Claim. Just-Style.com. https://www.just-style.com/news/tk-maxx-settles-harristweed-legal-claim_id116680.aspx. Accessed July 15, 2020. World Crafts Council (2020). Craft Cities. https://www.wccinternational.org/craftcities. Accessed June 16, 2020.

7 Creating and Reflecting Values through Sustainable Supply Chains

It is well documented that supply chains of companies within the global fashion industry are often fraught with fragmentation, waste, and exploitation. It is also well documented that fundamental changes in business processes and practices are necessary for the supply chains within the fashion industry to be more ethical, sustainable, and transparent (Burns 2019). These changes must go beyond the traditional policing of contractors around a standardized code of conduct. The foundation of these changes must be embedded in the very heart of every company and focused on the values created and reflected through the company’s supply chains—values that enhance economic development and demonstrate the company’s commitment to environmental stewardship, sustainable communities, cultural traditions, capacity building, and meaningful connections with consumers. In addition, consumers have become disconnected not only from the people who create and make the fashion products they purchase but also from the place where fashion products originate. Combined with the predominance of fast fashion, consumers tend to put little value on the human and natural resources used in making of these products. Fundamental changes in consumer behavior are also necessary. These changes must go beyond the feel-good behavior of consumers donating inexpensive and poor-quality merchandise to a local thrift store. Consumers must reflect their values through their purchasing behavior and use of products by consumers. Values that acknowledge and financially support the efforts of companies accurately reflect the cost of the materials and creators’ time and skills, and visibly reflect commitments to a more sustainable fashion system.

CREATING AND REFLECTING VALUES

173

Making these changes is difficult, and leaders within the movement of creating sustainable supply chains often feel isolated and frustrated. But we can learn much from the companies discussed in this book and be inspired by their respective leaders, partners, and artisans. These companies have implemented multiple strategies that aspire to create and maintain sustainable supply chains and meaningful connections to consumers. Each company instills time-honored aspects of culture and textile traditions; fosters enriched and economically viable communities; and promotes quality of life that underlies the strength, survival, and sustainability of individuals, families, communities, nations, and the planet. The purpose of this chapter is to reflect on these strategies and tease out the patterns and emergent themes from the narratives. What characteristics led to their successes? How did their supply chains evolve over time? What can we learn from their challenges? The emergent themes offer vision, insights, encouragement, and sense of community for those in the fashion industry who also strive to create more sustainable supply chains.

The Value of Place in Sustainable Supply Chains Where and by whom are materials and fashion products made? For many consumers, the fashion system is inherently anonymous. And for fashion companies, the people and places within their own supply chains may be equally unknown. But when skills, processes, and products are separated from place, valuable context, lessons, knowledge, experience, and history are also lost. Today’s fashion system has evolved whereby the makers within the supply chains are anonymous and consumers are disconnected from where and how their textiles products come to be. However, a renewed quest and appreciation for authenticity and connection to where and how textile products are created is being sought out by companies and consumers alike. The value of place has profound meanings for all of the companies discussed in this book. They were founded because of place. They value, honor, and are all deeply rooted in the geography, culture, and people of a specific location, and their success is attributable to their connection to place. Place is where their purpose originates. Place grounds them and fosters stewardship of that place, guaranteeing the future of the people and the culture. The value and stewardship of place is reflected throughout these companies’ supply chains in the fibers and textiles they use, in the cultural traditions associated with creating materials, and in preserving these cultural traditions. Wool from Oregon, USA, and Scotland; organic cotton from Peru; henequén from Yucatán, Mexico; alpaca from Peru; and textile waste from factories in Cambodia—the fibers and textiles used by these companies

174

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

have an inherent connection to the where and how the fibers and textiles are raised, grown, acquired, processed, and fabricated. The acquisition and use of these specific fibers and textiles were based on their qualities around environmental stewardship, traceability, animal welfare, and unique availability related to location. Cultural traditions associated with creating materials and production processes are also reflected in the supply chains of the companies discussed in this book: raising sheep in Oregon, knitting cotton and alpaca in Peru, traditional weaving in homes in Yucatán and Cambodia, and weaving wool at the crofts in the Outer Hebrides. These cultural traditions reflect both the heritage of the supply chains and the evolution of the traditions through modern perspectives and techniques. Advancing cultural traditions by creating textiles and unique textile products often required companies to seek out textile producers and artisans as well as reintroducing, retraining, and updating techniques and designs to be relevant and competitive in today’s fashion industry. For example, Rachel Faller of Tonlé partnered with women artisans in Cambodia and Scott Leonard and Matthew Reynolds engaged artisans in Peru to create readyto-wear with updated designs for new markets. Jeanne Carver and Angela Damman sought out artisans in their local communities who had not been engaged in their arts for years. These leaders re-engaged the artisans combining updated and elevated designs with traditional techniques. Throughout its history, Harris Tweed has evolved along with new technologies and changes in consumer demand, adding efficiencies and scalability. Today, growth in the number of independent Harris Tweed weavers reflects the industry’s response to consumer demand for innovative designs. Companies discussed in this book also advanced cultural traditions through authentic and mutually beneficial partnerships with other companies, designers, and artisans. Imperial Stock Ranch and Shaniko Wool Company partnered with sheep ranches and wool processors to uplift and strengthen the legacy of a regional supply chain for wool. Angela Damman Yucatán partnered with local spinners and weavers to create luxury textiles and products using time-honored techniques of processing and weaving fibers from native plants, henequén and sansevieria. Tonlé partnered with weaving guilds in Cambodia to build capacity and advance social justice. Indigenous Designs partnered with textile producers and artisan co-ops to enhance cultural traditions and economic development. Harris Tweed Authority’s unique partnerships among wool growers, mills, and weavers embodied the cultural foundation of the textiles themselves. The cultural traditions associated with textiles ground the companies with purpose and with a calling to preserve these traditions. As such, advancing cultural traditions required companies to invest in assuring that the traditional skills and techniques are preserved and shared with a new generation of artisans. For example, Harris Tweed has been committed to workforce development initiatives to assure a viable supply of Harris Tweed weavers.

CREATING AND REFLECTING VALUES

175

Angela Damman has launched an initiative whereby experienced weavers in Yucatán are teaching younger women weaving techniques applied to modern applications. Instilling the value of learning and continuing the traditions into younger artisans was not always easy. The arts, crafts, and traditional skills were often associated with low pay and antiquated perspectives with little community encouragement. However, when associated with modern designs and pay appropriate for the time and skills necessary for the craft, younger weavers and artisans have recognized the enrichment, enjoyment, and viability of learning and continuing these traditions. We would be amiss not to acknowledge that the companies highlighted in this book are in places that share cultural histories of systematic oppression, exploitation, poverty, and inequality; histories that parallel those of the global textile and fashion industries. Sheep ranching in central Oregon expanded as a result of Native groups being forced onto reservations, the indigenous peoples of Yucatán and Peru were exploited by colonial powers, the Khmer Rouge brought cultural destruction affecting the lives of the Cambodian people, and crofters in the Outer Hebrides were often forced from their lands. Is it possible to love a place, but not its history? And is it possible to address systematic oppression and rectify, in some way, the atrocities of the past through current and future practices? Companies with sustainable supply chains both recognize social injustice and resolve to create a more socially just environment and business. The leaders of the companies discussed in this book acknowledge their part in a place’s history and their obligation to build sustainable communities that honor the people and enhance the sustainability of communities through mutually beneficial partnerships and common purpose. That said, it should be noted that many of the leaders interviewed were not originally from the place being honored by the companies in which they work but were drawn to the place by its geography, heritage, culture, people, and textile traditions. As noted in Chapter 1, advancing cultural traditions for monetary gain by individuals not of that culture has the potential of contributing to white savior complex, cultural appropriation, and reinforcing “historically exploitative relationships” among countries and cultures (Arewa 2016). The approaches of the leaders interviewed are a stark contrast to the power structures and oppression evident in the past; instead, leaders focus on authentic and mutually beneficial partnerships through active listening, shared learning, honoring cultural norms, and enhancing environmental sustainability. Rachel Faller of Tonlé reflected on her own personal journey in questioning her motives and expectations in working with the artisans in Cambodia and the lasting benefits of this journey and growth. As such, work in authentically advancing cultural traditions continues to evolve. Conversations and exchanges across cultures, classes, races, and genders are imperative for systematic changes and to create a less hierarchal and more inclusive fashion system worldwide.

176

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

The Value of People in Sustainable Supply Chains The companies discussed in this book value the roles, expertise, and livelihood of their evolving supply chain partners, employees, and makers/artisans. It was clear that effective supply chain partnerships were imperative to the success of the companies discussed in this book. Partnerships that developed and evolved over time were built on the characteristics of ●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

trust high integrity and truthfulness transparency and consistency in communications mutual respect in building bridges across genders, classes, races, and cultures a team approach resilience

All of the leaders reflected on the time it took to build relationships with supply chain partners and noted that their supply chains evolved over time. Jeanne Carver reflected that trust in her supply chain partners was key in rebuilding a regional supply chain for wool. Rachel Faller referenced the value of her Tonlé team when challenges arose. Angela Damman noted the importance of earning the respect of the weavers and artisans. Scott Leonard and Matt Reynolds made reference to the role of NGOs in fostering communications and bridges with local artisans. Not enough can be said about the importance of resilience and adaptability in allowing supply chains to evolve and change. Jeanne Carver and Lorna Macaulay reflected on how product lines and markets for wool naturally adapted with changes in consumer demand. Angela Damman, Rachel Faller, Scott Leonard, and Matt Reynolds emphasized the importance of resilience and optimism when faced with challenges and setbacks that ultimately led to changes in their supply chains. Company leaders also reflected on the courage it took to cut ties with partners who no longer shared a common vision or whose approaches did not align with the company priorities. Jeanne Carver and Rachel Faller separated from partners resulting in the rebranding of their companies. Scott Leonard and Matt Reynolds reflected on the difficulty of their decisions to no longer work with particular suppliers. Valuing people is also reflected in the companies’ engagement with makers and artisan partners. In addition to providing appropriate pay and sustainable employment, makers are honored, empowered in the business environment, and recognized. In general, companies acknowledge and reward

CREATING AND REFLECTING VALUES

177

the value of the makers’ skills through their pay structures, opportunities for advanced training, benefits, and incentives. Indigenous Designs, Tonlé, and Harris Tweed are invested in building capacity through educational opportunities and community engagement. Through certification processes, Shaniko Wool Company is assuring training materials for workers at all ranches that are part of the approved Farm Group. Valuing people is also reflected in acknowledging cultural traditions that are important to the vitality and sustainability of communities. Creating environments that reflect cultural norms while at the same time building capacity among makers and artisans is imperative to sustained engagement and success. Companies use various supply chain models reflecting the cultural and societal norms of the particular places in which they operate. For example, Indigenous Designs and Tonlé incorporated cooperative and artisan workshop supply chain models, respectively; models preferred by local artisans. An independent contractor model was incorporated by other companies. For example, the mandate that Harris Tweed weavers must weave from their homes reflects the culture of crofting within the Outer Hebrides; the ability for artisans working with Indigenous Designs, Angela Damman Yucatán, and Imperial Stock Ranch, who are predominantly women, to work from their homes reflects cultural norms associated with women’s’ roles within the family—nurturing and care-giving while also providing professional and economic resources and contributing to the finances of the family. For many of the artisans, being able to stay at home to work resulted in increased satisfaction with their roles within the company. It should be noted that legal aspects associated with industrial homework may affect approaches companies take in offering opportunities for makers and artisans to work from their homes. Companies led by visionary entrepreneurs talked about the importance of partnering with larger and more established companies in learning about the industry and expanding their markets. Jeanne Carver of Imperial Stock Ranch noted the significance of “the call” from Ralph Lauren and partnering with them in creating the USA Olympic ceremony uniforms; Scott Leonard and Matt Reynolds reflected on the value of partnering with Eileen Fisher in expanding their markets; Angela Damman identified Coqui Coqui as a key client resulting in scaling operations and product development. Partnerships were also imperative to financial aspects of the companies. Grants, loans, and investments were often a result of partnerships and professional networks. For example, Matt Reynolds and Scott Leonard noted the importance of their partnership with RSF Social Finance in securing funding from investors and with Root Capital in providing loans to scale fair trade work. As a rancher, Jeanne Carver was able to leverage US government agency partners and agricultural grant programs with matching dollars to assist in taking her wool harvest to market and to expand markets in the early stages of the business.

178

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

The Value of Product in Sustainable Supply Chains The companies discussed in this book place a high value on the quality and sustainability of the textile products created—products that are well designed and made with materials recognized as valued resources and with high-quality workmanship to be used for as long as possible. These companies acknowledge the importance of and implementing strategies to achieve a more circular fashion system; one that counters the traditional linear fashion system of make, use, and dispose. Rather, the resources utilized in the creation, sale, and use of products are kept in use for as long as possible, thus ensuring a more sustainable supply chain. Strategies include using environmentally sustainable materials, designing products with features that will extend the lives of the products, and creating opportunities for consumers to connect with the products and the people who made them, thus valuing the product and resources used in creating it. Environmentally sustainable and renewable fibers and materials are used by all of the companies discussed in this book. Tonlé uses preconsumer textile waste. Indigenous Designs uses organic cotton, Angela Damman Yucatán uses henequén and sansevieria, and Shaniko Wool Company and Harris Tweed are committed to wool. All of these natural fibers are considered renewable resources when produced with sustainable agricultural practices that do not deplete or damage the environment. These companies also create materials and products with longevity of use as a priority: Shaniko Wool Company and Harris Tweed focus on high-quality wool to be made into long-lasting products. As a counter-perspective to fast fashion, slow fashion strategies, including the use of small-scale and traditional techniques, have been integrated into the supply chains of Angela Damman Yucatán, Indigenous Designs, Tonlé, and Harris Tweed. At the product design stage, Tonlé uses zero-waste techniques. All of the companies create timeless and seasonless designs with a goal of extending the life of the fashion. These strategies associated with design and product development reflect the companies’ commitment to environmental stewardship. Maintaining the integrity and consistency of high-quality materials and products required articulated and mission-driven standards, continual attention to work being completed, educational opportunities for makers to expand and hone their skills, vigilance and consistency in communications, and patience as processes and procedures evolved. Looking back on their journeys, those interviewed often smiled when they remembered early

CREATING AND REFLECTING VALUES

179

challenges. Angela Damman reflected on communications with weavers in developing and maintaining high-quality materials, Scott Leonard and Matt Reynolds reminisced about the importance of cultural norms in product development and size standards. Rachel Faller created educational training materials for artisans as a key resource in enhancing skills. But, the creation of high-quality and sustainable materials and products is only half of the story. Consumers also play a vital role in valuing the human and natural resources used in the creation of the product. The theory is that when consumers are connected to and value their textile products, they are more likely to keep, use, and care for these products over time. Connecting with consumers required companies to effectively communicate the impact of their work in environmental stewardship, capacity building, economic development, and reinvigorating traditional techniques and community in creating textiles and products. For these companies, effectively communicating the values of place, product and people, and connecting with consumers through values created and reflected in supply chains was a process that developed and evolved over time. It started with supply chain traceability, assurance, and transparency. For the companies discussed in this book, traceability and assurance were achieved through supply chain partnerships, certifications, and attention to building capacity and empowering employees within the supply chain. For example: ●●

●●

●●

●●

●●

Tonlé, Indigenous Designs, and Harris Tweed share images and videos of the artisans and processes on their websites and in social media Harris Tweed, Shaniko Wool Company, and Indigenous Designs use labeling with certification logos that reflect supply chain traceability (e.g., Responsible Wool Standard, Fair Trade Certified, B Corp) Tonlé and Imperial Stock Ranch have created product tags that reinforce connections between consumers and the people who made the products Indigenous Designs has created and published impact reports with metrics associated with environmental and social sustainability; Shaniko Wool Company has launched an initiative to measure and communicate carbon sequestration with the assistance of Green Story, Tonlé uses visuals related to the environmental footprints of products to communicate the impact of the company’s efforts around environmental sustainability

180

STORIES OF FASHION, TEXTILES, AND PLACE

Characteristics of the Founders, CEO, Partners, and Artisans People who led the evolution of each of the companies discussed in this book can be characterized by unmeasurable passion, incredible perseverance, and high degree of adaptability. These qualities afford them with their extraordinary leadership abilities. According to Kruse (2013), “leadership is the process of social influence which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal.” The individuals interviewed for this book demonstrated leadership through communicating a clear vision and passion and building the capacity of others by creating healthy, trusting, and inspiring work environments. In addition, they were all shaped by place— where they came from, where they live, and where they work. Understanding key elements of these leaders’ backgrounds that shaped their perspectives, character, and business acumen helps us better understand their work and the power of their accomplishments. For many of those interviewed, family background and upbringing were key in the development of their approaches to business and company operations. The fact that they were shaped by where they come from is an important parallel to the fact that products and processes also reflected their origins, a key element to grounding purpose and enhancing sustainability. Parents and grandparents were important mentors to several of these leaders. Scott Leonard grew up learning about fashion and retailing from his father. Matt Reynolds was greatly influenced by his father, who was a progressive developmental economist at Stanford. Angela Damman credits her background growing up in Minnesota and learning about sustainability from her parents as the philosophical foundation of her business. Jeanne Carver’s family was instrumental in building an ethic of hard work. As a first-generation college student where she excelled in athletics, Jeanne claims that her experiences as a collegiate-level hurdler prepared her for the many obstacles ahead in the worlds of ranching and ultimately textiles and fashion. Learning and practicing textile skills resulted in enhanced appreciation for the value of the craft. Rachel Faller learned to sew from family members and brought this understanding of the craft to their business. Living abroad provided perspective and cultural enrichment and respect. Rachel Faller’s experiences as a Fulbright scholar and Matt Reynold’s early experiences living in South America unequivocally shaped their perspectives and approaches to their business. A key to creating and maintaining sustainable supply chains is the effective balancing of purpose and profit. All of the companies are for-profit entities. Leaders of the companies discussed in this book were motivated by a larger purpose than making a profit through selling textile products— motivations that inspire us to be creative, purposeful, and thoughtful. Yes, written business plans with financial goals and objectives are important;

CREATING AND REFLECTING VALUES

181

but paying attention to the place, culture, product, people, and making or adapting decisions that follow one’s heart were key for these companies’ successes. In general, the initial and overarching mission of the leaders of these companies was to enhance economic development and the sustainability of communities through the selling of products. And within this mission, they vowed not to exhaust or exploit human and natural resources. Instead, they aspired to work in partnership to advance cultural traditions and enhance lives of makers, employees, their families, and others in the community (the place). That is, they aspired to create positive social change through their business activities. With this in mind, leaders of these companies also stayed mission-driven. This grounding in a larger purpose was the compass for their journeys. When faced with obstacles, frustrations, and setbacks, their drive to enhance lives, protect the planet, and sustain communities kept them on track and moving forward. In essence, creating sustainable supply chains is achieved through creating value and reflecting values by honoring place, people, and product. Mutually respectful and beneficial partnerships are vital to the success of these supply chains over time. And leaders must be passionate, mission-driven, and resilient. These characteristics are essential not only for the success of fashion companies but also for the future of the global fashion industry. We challenge each and everyone who is a participant in the fashion system to take action in reflecting the values that result in enhanced environmental, social, cultural, and economic sustainability.

References and Resources Arewa, Olufunmilayo (2016, June 20). Cultural Appropriation: When “Borrowing” Becomes Exploitation. The Conversation. http://theconversation.com/culturalappropriation-when-borrowing-becomes-exploitation-57411. Accessed September 28, 2020. Burns, Leslie Davis (2019). Sustainability and Social Change in Fashion. New York: Fairchild Books/Bloomsbury Publishing. Kruse, Kevin (2013, April 9). What Is Leadership? Forbes. https://www.forbes. com/sites/kevinkruse/2013/04/09/what-is-leadership/#3a77105a5b90. Accessed September 28, 2020.

Epilogue

This book was developed and interviews were conducted in 2019. As we all know, 2020 brought unprecedented disruption to the supply chains of companies within the global fashion industry. These disruptions affected not only the livelihoods but also the lives of all those who were engaged with the companies discussed in this book. Given these dramatic disruptions, we contemplated whether to move forward with completing and publishing these narratives, knowing that each of the companies was navigating still new challenges in their journeys. After our own reflections and communications with the companies, we believe that the narratives of these companies are needed more than ever. We can learn from previous challenges faced by these companies and the strategies they used to adapt and move forward. In the ideal world, the dramatic disruptions being faced by the global fashion industry will spur the growth and evolution of a more sustainable industry— one in which consumers and companies value human and natural resources necessary to create textile products and sustain humankind. We hope that is the case.

RECOMMENDED READING

Becker-Leifhold, Carolin and Mark Heuer (Eds.) (2018). Eco-Friendly and Fair: Fast Fashion and Consumer Behaviour. London and New York: Routledge/ Taylor & Francis Group. Collection of scholarly essays that explore the interrelationships among fast fashion, consumer behavior, and socially responsible business practices. Black, Sandy. (2013). The Sustainable Fashion Handbook. London: Thames & Hudson. This anthology provides a variety of perspectives around environmental and social sustainability in the fashion industry. Designers and companies are profiled. Blackburn, Richard (Ed.) (2015). Sustainable Fashion: Production, Processing, and Recycling. Cambridge, UK: Woodhead Publishing. This edited book “covers recent advances and novel technologies in the key areas of production, processing and recycling of apparel” with a focus on environmental sustainability. Blum, Peggy. (2021). Circular Fashion: A Supply Chain for Sustainability in the Textile and Apparel Industry. London: Laurence King Publishing. Introductory textbook on creating circular supply chains in the fashion industry. Burgess, Rebecca. (2019). Fibershed: Growing Movement of Farmers, Fashion Activists, and Makers for a New Textile Economy. Hartford, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing. This book presents the “farm-to-closet” vision for creating “a textile system based on economic justice and soil carbon enhancing practices.” Burns, Leslie Davis. (2019). Sustainability and Social Change in Fashion. New York: Fairchild Books/Bloomsbury Publishing. This textbook provides an overview of six interconnected tenets of sustainability and social change in the global fashion industry along with examples of successful fashion brand companies incorporating each of the tenets in their operations. Dickson, Marsha A., Suzanne Loker, and Molly Eckman (2009). Social Responsibility in the Global Apparel Industry. New York: Fairchild Books. With a focus on corporate social responsibility in fashion production supply chains, this book provides an overview of challenges and industry practices. Fletcher, Kate. (2014). Sustainable Fashion and Textiles: Design Journeys (2nd ed.). London: Routledge. Organized around eight starting points or “design journeys” to design and create sustainable fashion, the book offers examples and critiques of fashion design and designers engaged in creating fashions that foster environmental sustainability.

184

RECOMMENDED READING

Fletcher, Kate and Mathilda Tham (Eds.) (2015). Routledge Handbook of Sustainability and Fashion. London: Routledge/Taylor and Francis Group. Collection of multidisciplinary scholarly essays that explore fashion and sustainability “at the levels of products, processes, and paradigms.” Fletcher, Kate and Lynda Grose (2012). Fashion and Sustainability: Design for Change. London: Laurence King Publishing. Organized in three sections— transforming fashion garments, transforming the fashion system, and the role of fashion designers—this book examines opportunities for a more sustainable fashion industry. Gordon, Jennifer Farley and Colleen Hill (2015). Sustainable Fashion: Past, Present and Future. London: Bloomsbury Academic. Organized around topics associated with environmental and social sustainability (e.g., recycled clothing and textiles, material origins, textile dying, labor practices), this book provides an overview of the history and current issues for each. Gullingsrud, Annie. (2017). Fashion Fibers: Designing for Sustainability. New York: Fairchild Books/Bloomsbury Publishing. With a focus on cradle-tocradle philosophy, this book is a reference tool for fashion designers to enhance environmental sustainability of fibers used in fashion products. Gwilt, Alison. (2020). A Practical Guide to Sustainable Fashion (2nd ed.). London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts. Overview of current models of sustainable fashion design and production with “step by step guidance on how to identify and evaluate the potential impacts of a garment during the design process.” Gwilt, Alison, Alice Payne, and Evelise Anicet Rüthschilling (Eds.) (2019). Global Perspectives on Sustainable Fashion. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. Edited book of essays on sustainable practices organized by region of the world (Latin America, North America, Europe, Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania, Africa and Middle East) with a focus on how environmental, ethical, social, and economic aspects of these regions are shaping sustainable fashion in different countries. Hethorn, Janet and Connie Ulasewicz (Eds.) (2015). Sustainable Fashion: What’s Next? A Conversation about Issues, Practices, and Possibilities (2nd ed.). New York: Fairchild Books/Bloomsbury Publishing. Edited chapters on the challenges facing designers, product developers, and consumers as they design, create, use, and recycle fashion products. Lo, Chris K. Y. and Jung Ha-Brookshire (Eds.) (2018). Sustainability in Luxury Fashion Business. Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. Collection of scholarly essays on various aspects of the luxury fashion industry and sustainability. Marcketti, Sara B., and Elena E. Karpova (Eds.) (2020). The Dangers of Fashion: Towards Ethical and Sustainable Solutions. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. Volume of scholarly essays that examine the harmful and ethically uncertain aspects of the fashion industry and offer existing and potential innovative solutions. Matthes, André, Katja Beyer, Holger Cebulla, Maarlen Gabriele Arnold, and Anton Schumann (Eds.) (2021). Sustainable Textile and Fashion Value Chains: Drivers, Concepts, Theories and Solutions. Cham, Switzerland: Springer Nature Switzerland. Collection of research articles and scholarly essays on sustainable practices throughout the textile and apparel supply chain. Minney, Safia. (2012). Naked Fashion: The New Sustainable Fashion Revolution. Oxford, UK: New Internationalist Publications. Minney shares her journey in starting fashion brand, People Tree. Chapters are devoted to aspects of

RECOMMENDED READING

185

sustainable fashion, including fair trade, media, fashion styling, fashion design, supply chain, retailing, and ethical fashion brands. Muthu, Subramanian Senthilkannan and Miguel Angel Gardetti (Eds.) (2020). Sustainable Textiles: Production, Processing, Manufacturing, and Chemistry. New York: Springer Publishing. Comprehensive five-volume set of books that explore sustainability in the global textile industry. Nayak, Rajkishore (Ed.) (2020). Supply Chain Management and Logistics in the Global Fashion Sector: The Sustainability Challenge. London and New York: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group. Collection of scholarly essays on topics related to creating and managing sustainable supply chains in fashion. Padovani, Clio and Paul Whittaker (2019). Sustainability and the Social Fabric: Europe’s New Textile Industry. London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts. Explores the textile manufacturing industry in Europe through case studies of companies and their approaches to social sustainability. Rinaldi, Francesca Romana. (2019). Fashion Industry 2030: Reshaping the Future through Sustainability and Responsible Innovation. Milan: Bocconi University Press/EGEA. This book explores strategies for reshaping the future of the fashion industry to be more sustainable. Rissanen, Timo and Holly McQuillan (2018). Zero Waste Fashion Design. London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts. Overview of zero-waste design strategies and techniques to assist fashion designers in developing zero-waste patterns and manufacturing zero-waste garments. Szmydke-Cacciapalle, Paulina. (2018). Making Jeans Green: Linking Sustainability, Business and Fashion. London and New York: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group. Using denim jeans as the focus, this book examines challenges and strategies around enhancing sustainability of the denim industry.

INDEX

A Adabrock Weaving Company 153 agave 61 agave fourcroydes 66 agave sisalana (sisal) 66, 67, 87 alpaca 5, 120, 121, 173, 174 Angela Damman Yucatán advancing cultural traditions 74–81 background 60–6 Coqui Coqui partnership 82, 83 Mayan Youth Artisanship Initiative 80, 81 supply chain revitalization 66–74 weavers 70, 73, 74, 76, 77, 79–81, 85, 88, 95, 175, 176, 179 Arivilca, Eva 135 artifacts as cultural symbols 16 artisan cooperative (co-op) model 5, 117, 123–6, 133, 174, 177 artisan craft production Angela Damman Yucatán 74, 76–8, 85 Indigenous Designs 115, 118, 122, 125, 127, 135–7 Tonlé 95, 96, 103, 105 artisan groups Angela Damman Yucatán 77, 78, 95–7 Indigenous Designs 116, 133, 135 Tonlé 105 artisan workshop model 101–4, 177 B B Corporation 25, 131, 132, 179 B Lab 25 backstrap loom 74, 76, 80, 81, 83, 86 bagasse, definition 69 Bangladesh 16, 100 Better Cotton Standard System 23 Better Work 27

black houses, Outer Hebrides 140, 142, 157, 170 bluesign technologies 23 brand identity 40, 107 brick-and-mortar retail 3 C C & A Foundation 131 Cambodia 5, 90, 91, 95–8, 101–5, 107–9, 173–5 Cambodian genocide 96, 97 capacity building, definition 17, 19 capital, financial 47, 118, 126–8, 138 carbon footprint, definition 12 carbon sequestration 33, 58, 86, 179 Carloway Mill Harris Tweed 150 Carver, Dan 31, 32, 34, 35, 46, 54 Carver, Jeanne 30–5, 37–50, 53–5, 57, 58, 174, 176, 177, 180 cashmere 2 Castañeda, Juan Carlos 135 Ceres Project 128, 130 certifications definition 22 fiber and textile certifications 22, 23, 54, 58, 132, 177, 179 Harris Tweed certification 146, 147, 163, 166, 168 producers and manufacturer certifications 24, 132, 179 supply chain certifications 25, 131, 132, 179 Chargeurs Wool USA 41 Chichén Itzá 61 Clò Mòr (Big Cloth) 140, 170 code of conduct 17, 172 Cohen, Anna 41, 44, 45, 50, 51 consumption practices, sustainable 20, 21, 172 contract factories 20, 98, 137, 172, 177

INDEX

187

cooperative, definition 26 Coqui Coqui Residences & Spa 82, 83, 177 cotton certifications 22, 23, 54, 58, 132, 177, 179 natural fiber 2, 5 organic 5, 8, 10–12, 20, 23, 119, 121, 122, 130, 132, 173, 174, 178 types of 122 Uzbekestan 27 counterfeit, Harris Tweed 144, 168 Cradle to Cradle® Certified 23 croft/crofting 140, 143, 145, 147, 148, 165, 170, 174, 175, 177 cultural appropriation, definition 18, 19, 175 cultural identity 86, 87, 136, 141 cultural preservation 66, 74, 88, 146 cultural sustainability 9, 10, 15, 16, 21, 25, 26, 86, 181 cultural traditions 8, 18–19, 65, 96, 113, 177 advancing 4, 5, 9, 10, 15, 60, 74, 80, 81, 85, 87, 88, 133, 172–5, 181 cultural sustainability 16–18 culture, definition 16, 18, 56

F fabric finishing 2, 143, 146, 149, 150, 157, 162 Fair Labor Association 17, 27 Fair Trace Tool 136, 137, 185 fair trade apparel 95, 97 certifications 24, 132 definition 24, 25 incorporating principles of 81, 104, 109, 117–19, 122, 126, 133, 135, 177 scaling 127, 136 Fair Trade USA 24, 132 Fair Wear Foundation 27 Fairtrade International 24 Faller, Rachel 90, 92, 93, 95–109, 174–6, 179, 180 Fashion for Good 131 fast fashion supply chain calendar 14, 108, 172, 178 First Industrial Revolution 8, 93, 143 Flood, Joe 112–14, 117 Fox, Sally 121 FoxFibre® 122 freedom of association 25, 27 Fulbright U.S. Student Program 96

D Damman, Angela 60, 62–6, 70, 73, 74, 76–88 Damman, Scott 63–8, 73, 74, 76–8, 82, 88 deadstock fabric 13, 20 Doña Felipa 76, 79, 80 dyed in the locks, wool 37, 38, 45

G Gaelic culture 140–2, 153, 163 Global Fashion Agenda 4 Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) 23, 132 globalization 3, 12, 19, 33 Glover, Catherine 165 Golstein, Yitzac 119 grant funding 41, 47, 50, 79, 97, 126, 133, 169, 177 Green America® 128, 129, 131 Green Story 22, 106, 179, 185 Griffiths Rapier Loom 161

E economic development 5, 10, 26, 43, 66, 87, 169, 172, 174, 179, 181 economic sustainability 9, 10, 19, 20, 24, 26, 85, 107, 125, 181, 184 Ecuador 113–15, 117–19, 136 Eileen Fisher 4, 130, 177 Ellen MacArthur Foundation 3, 4, 13 employee empowerment, definition 17 environmental justice 128 ethical investing 128 Ethical Trading Initiative 27

H handspun yarns 85, 117, 142–5, 149, 157 handwoven fabrics 8, 22, 39, 144, 146, 147, 152, 165 Harris Tweed® 140–71 certification 146, 147, 163

188

INDEX

history 141–5 labeling 166–8 supply chain overview 147 weavers 8, 140, 142–50, 157, 158, 160–2, 164–6, 169, 174, 175, 177 wool processing 149–56 workforce development 159, 169, 170 Harris Tweed Act 1993 22, 24, 141, 145–8, 157, 158, 168 Harris Tweed Authority (HTA) 146, 147, 149, 157, 160, 164–71 Harris Tweed Hebrides (HTH) 149, 153, 159, 161, 165 Hattersley loom 161 heather colors, wool yarn 37, 45, 46 henequén cultural tradition 18, 60–2, 86–8, 174 fiber processing 68–74 native to Yucatán 5, 8, 61 65, 173 natural fiber 2, 10, 11 product development and retail 82–6, 178 sustainable agriculture 66–8 weaving process 76, 77, 79, 80 Higg Index 26, 27 Hogarth, Mark 153 Human Pictures 135 human trafficking 5, 16

independent contractor/artisan 77, 78, 98, 177 independent weavers, Harris Tweed 145, 146, 149, 150, 153, 156–62, 164, 174 Indigenous Designs 112–39 artisan co-op model 123–5, 136, 137 background 112–14 business partnership 116, 117 certifications 130–2 Ecuador 117, 118 Eileen Fisher partnership 130 knitters 117, 118, 120, 123–5, 135 Peru 119–25 Root Capital 127 Social Venture Circle 130 industrial homework 177 industrial textile waste 13 International Co-operative Alliance 26 International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union 16 Intertek 24, 25 Isle of Harris 143, 158 Isle of Lewis 143, 149, 150

I Imperial Collection by Anna Cohen 41, 42, 44, 50 Imperial Stock Ranch American Merino 53 Imperial Stock Ranch and Shaniko Wool Company 30–59 Anna Cohen partnership 41–5, 50, 51 Carbon Initiative 58 history 32–4 Portland Fashion Week 42, 44, 45 Ralph Lauren partnership 46–9, 53 ready-to-wear 38–43 Responsible Wool Standard 54, 55 yarn business 34–8

L labeling systems 23, 40, 147, 166, 167, 179 labor practices 16, 17, 24, 25, 27, 93, 113, 144 lambing 30, 31 Leonard, Harry 125 Leonard, Scott 112–20, 122, 123, 125–7, 130, 131, 133–8, 174, 176, 177, 179, 180 linear fashion system 4, 178 logistics 12, 117, 118, 137 logo 35, 102, 144, 165, 179 longevity of use 10, 14, 15, 178 looms 74, 76, 80, 81, 83, 86, 145, 157–61, 165, 169

K Kennedy, Ken 165 Kenneth Mackenzie Ltd 149 Khmer Rouge regime 96, 97, 175 Kubley, Ashley 79

INDEX

loom shed 154, 156, 157, 170 lorry 159, 160, 162 low-impact dyes 5, 151 Luskentyre Harris Tweed Co. 158 lyocell 11 M Macaulay, Lorna 145–8, 157, 158, 161, 163–70, 176 Mackay, Donald John 158 Macleod, Kristina 146 Mailman, Josh 125, 130 manufacturing processes 4, 13, 14, 34, 43, 104, 108, 133, 146, 168 marketing strategies 40, 53, 58, 83, 84, 107, 146, 163, 164 mass manufacturing 102, 104 Mayan culture 61, 66, 76, 86, 88 Mayan Youth Artisanship Initiative (MYAI) 79, 80 Mekong River 90, 91 Mendes, Chico 113 mentorship 80, 82, 83, 108, 130, 159, 180 Mérida, Yucatán 61, 62, 64, 65, 74, 76, 82 Merino wool 53 microenterprise 124 mill weavers, Harris Tweed 157, 158, 161 Miller, Robert 53 millspun yarn 143–5 modular design 15 Mother-in-Law’s Tongue (sansevieria) 66 N National Spinning Co., Inc. 53 native plants 5, 61, 65, 66, 174 natural dyes 70, 73, 151 natural fibers 2, 10, 88, 119, 122, 178 natural resources management of 32, 33, 36, 46, 66 non-renewable 10, 12 renewable 10–12, 23, 178 naturally colored fibers 35, 37, 53, 119, 121, 122, 150 nongovernmental organization (NGO) 20, 22, 26, 27, 117, 123, 124, 133, 176

189

nonprofit organizations 22, 24–6, 95, 99, 117, 128, 131 nonrenewable resources 10, 12 non-toxic dyes 70, 132, 151 Norm Thompson 39–41 NY NOW trade show 53, 54 nylon 2, 10 O Oeko-Tex Association 23, 132 offshore production 33, 40 Olympic Games, ceremony uniforms 31, 32, 46–9, 53, 177 omnichannel retail 3 Orb and Maltese Cross trademark, Harris Tweed 144, 146, 163, 166–8 organic agriculture 23, 73, 173, 178 organic cotton 5, 8, 10–12, 20, 23, 119, 121, 122, 130, 132, 173, 174, 178 Outdoor Industry Association 131 Outer Hebrides, Scotland, description of 140–3, 152–6 Owens, Joanne 156, 159, 171 P Patagonia 54 patternmaking 96, 101, 102, 106, 108 Peru 5, 119, 120, 122, 134–6, 173–5 Peru Fair Trade 132 Peruvian culture 120, 135 pirns, weaving process 161 Polo Ralph Lauren 31, 32, 47, 177 polyester 2, 10, 11, 13 Portland Fashion Week 42, 44, 45 post-consumer textile waste 14 Poverty Probability Index (PPI) 134 pre-consumer textile waste 13, 98, 100, 101, 178 Principles for Responsible Investment 128, 129 principles of fair trade 24, 25, 104, 119, 122 product development 39, 43, 74, 76, 82, 85, 177–9 product lifecycle 11 pueblos 73, 76, 78, 79, 86, 88 PURE collection 121

190

INDEX

Q quality assurance 24, 147, 160, 170 quality control 49, 53, 77, 82, 96, 101, 118, 123, 124, 127 R Ralph Lauren 31, 32, 47–50, 53, 177 Rambouillet sheep 35 Rana Plaza factory collapse 16, 100 raspador 69 rayon 2, 11 ready-to-wear 16, 19, 41, 95, 96, 98, 165, 174 rebranding 100, 176 re-commerce 3 recycled, recycling 3, 11–14, 21, 23, 73, 102, 184 renewable energy 10, 12, 23, 34–6 renewable resources 10–12, 23, 178 repurpose, definition 13 responsible investing 128, 129 Responsible Sourcing Network 27, 132 Responsible Wool Standard 11, 23, 24, 54, 55, 58, 179 retail operations 2, 3, 12, 40, 44–6, 50, 82–4, 100, 107, 108, 114, 138, 146 Reynolds, Matthew 115–19, 121–7, 130, 131, 133, 136–8, 174, 176, 177, 179, 180 Root Capital 126, 127, 177 Rowan, Margaret 153, 159, 161, 164 RSF Social Finance 125, 126, 133, 135, 177 Rudolf Steiner Foundation 125 S Samuelson, George 84 sansevieria 5, 66, 67, 73, 83, 84, 87, 88, 174, 178 scaling operations 20, 35, 58, 117, 118, 127, 130, 136, 137, 174, 177 Schikora, Katrin 84 Scotland 8, 140, 143, 145, 146, 148, 153, 173 Scottish Cheviot sheep 148

scouring process, wool 11, 35, 38, 117 Shaniko Wool Company See Imperial Stock Ranch and Shaniko Wool Company Shepard, Piper 95 Shima Seiki 53 short-cycle supply chain calendar 14 shredding process, natural fibers 61, 68, 69, 85 shredding process, recycling 14 silk 2, 8, 98, 159 skein, definition 38 slow fashion 15, 178 social compliance programs 17, 24, 25, 27 social justice 5, 18, 90, 92, 103, 129, 174, 175 social sustainability 9, 10, 15, 16, 18, 21, 24–6, 85, 98, 103, 106, 138, 179, 181 Social Venture Circle (formerly Social Venture Network) 130 specifications, production 49, 118, 124, 160 spinning mills 27, 35, 37, 42, 44–6, 49, 53, 122, 149 spinning process 2, 18, 38, 41, 45, 50, 68, 70, 80, 113, 122, 143, 149, 151 stock dyeing, wool 38, 45, 46 supply chain assurance 9, 21, 25, 129, 179 calendars 14, 15, 40 circular supply chain 3, 62, 73, 131, 178 definition 2, 3, 5 management 5, 21 traceability 9, 21, 22, 41, 43, 54, 55, 131, 136, 163, 167, 174, 179 transparency 9, 21, 25, 55, 106, 131, 137, 165, 167, 172, 176, 179 sustainability cultural 9, 10, 15, 16, 18, 21, 25, 26, 85, 86, 173, 175, 177, 181 definition 9 economic 9, 10, 19, 20, 23, 24, 26, 78, 85, 107, 125, 181

INDEX

environmental 5, 8–12, 14, 15, 23–6, 63, 85, 98, 102, 103, 106, 113, 128, 138, 179 goals 4, 10, 12, 15, 20, 22 plans 4, 185 social 9, 10, 15, 16, 18, 21, 23–6, 85, 95, 98, 103, 106, 138, 179, 181 Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) 26, 27, 131 sustainable communities, definition 17, 18 sustainable development 4, 9, 10, 26, 66, 87, 129, 172, 174, 179, 181 Sustainable, responsible, impact (SRI) investing 129 T Takto Design Group 84 textile chemical use in manufacturing 4, 10–12, 32, 68, 119, 121 definition 2, 185 design 37, 81, 149, 152–4, 156, 159, 160 mills (see spinning mills) supply chain, overview 2–5 waste 4, 5, 10, 13, 14, 53, 85, 86, 90, 92, 96, 98, 100–2, 106, 173, 178 Textile Exchange 11, 23, 54, 55, 131 The National NeedleArts Association (TNNA) 44 third-party auditing, certification 16, 17, 24, 25, 54, 129, 131 tolerance, waste 13, 102 Tonlé 90–110 artisans 103–6 background 92–5 Cambodian textiles 95, 96 weavers 95, 105, 140 Weaves Cambodia partnership 105 zero-waste model 101–3 Tonlé Sap river 90, 91, 109 top, wool 38, 41, 42, 45, 46, 49 top dyed, wool 38, 46

191

tourism, tourist market 74, 91, 98, 101, 146, 169, 170 trademark 40, 46, 122, 144–6, 166–8 traditional dress, definition 18 Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire 16 Triple Bottom Line 129 true cost of products 4, 20, 87, 108 U upcycling 3, 13–15, 20, 21, 98, 101, 138 Urgha Loom Shed 156 US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 9, 13 USDA National Organic Program 23, 132 USDA Value-Added Producer Grant 41, 47 V value-added, definition 3 value chain, definition 3, 26, 95, 98, 173, 179, 181, 184 vendor compliance programs 39, 49 Verité 25 Vivienne Westwood 165, 168 W warp beam 152, 157, 159–61 warping process 74, 149, 152, 159–61 waste, textile 4, 5, 10, 13, 14, 53, 85, 86, 90, 92, 96, 98, 100–2, 106, 173, 178 Waste and Resource Action Programme 4 wastewater 12 waulking 163 weavers Angela Damman Yucatán 70, 73, 74, 76, 77, 79–81, 85, 88, 95, 175, 176, 179 Harris Tweed® 8, 140, 142–50, 157, 158, 160–2, 164–6, 169, 174, 175, 177 Tonlé 95, 105, 140 Weaves Cambodia 105 weft yarn, weaving 152, 156, 160, 161 white savior complex 18, 19, 109, 175

192

INDEX

wholesale operations 40, 44, 83, 102, 107, 108, 114, 118, 146, 164 wool blending process 37, 45, 149–51 carding/combing process 38, 41, 45, 151 certifications 11, 23, 24, 54, 55, 58, 177, 179 dyeing process 37 natural fiber 2, 10, 11, 119–21 scouring process 11, 35, 38, 117 terminology 38 woolen yarn, wool 38, 41, 45, 122 Worker Rights Consortium 27 World Crafts Council 165

Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production 17, 24 worsted yarn, wool 38, 41–3, 45, 46, 122 Y Yarn Ethically and Sustainably Sourced (YESS) initiative 27 yarn spinning See spinning process Yucatán, Mexico, description of 60–5 Z zero interest loans 126, 133 zero-waste design strategies 5, 13, 20, 85, 90, 92, 101, 102, 178

193

194

195

196